


Deep Six

by EspadaIV



Series: Carnival of Rust [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Stuff Happening To Good People, Dirty Talk, Drama, Elements of dubcon, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Forced Orgasm, Gang Violence, Gangsters, Kidnapping, Lemon, M/M, Modern Era, Multi, Nefarious Characters, Oral Sex, PTSD, Phone Sex, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sex Toys, Shameless Smut, Stockholm Syndrome, Threesome, Unexpected Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, doom and gloom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:13:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 100,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13058505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspadaIV/pseuds/EspadaIV
Summary: The problems just don't stop for this polyamorous quad, as things just keep piling on. Nel has to tell the people she lives with something. Then there's the fact that, just maybe, Orihime is in denial about some things. Can Ulquiorra actually deal with all that trauma that's happened in the past two years? There is also the issue of Grimmjow being jealous of a certain teal-haired woman's new friend. Will Tsukishima's plan go off without a hitch? What happens when you take something away from possessive people?NOW WITH COVER ART!





	1. Sounding the Trumpets

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Oi! (Now, I have the urge to chant "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" But I'll refrain.) 
> 
> Hiiiiii again! I'm gonna give you guys a preview of the next part so once January begins, I can post in earnest. January will be really busy for me because I'll be having surgery on the 15th. Let's Hear It For (Daddy!) Part THREE of Carnival of Rust series! YAYAYAY! *taps screen* I'm sorry, but I'm not hearing you cheer back there. No, not you. No. No. Yes, you. You need to cheer! I'm writing stuff I don't like. *grumbles about Ichihime* 
> 
> The title for this part comes from the Marilyn Manson song Deep Six. If you look up the lyrics, you know it's just gonna be doom and gloom. As always my playlist for each chapter will be in the end notes!
> 
> Want Me To Write Something? Send words:  
> Tumblr @Espada-IV! I post more previews here!  
> Twitter @IVEspada  
> Kik @Espada.IV  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel runs into Bazz and then tells her housemates the “happy” news. Orihime has a tantrum and leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own, don't sue.  
> Bleach characters belong to their respective owners.  
> Believe me, if I owned Bleach, none of that shit would have happened.  
> K? K.
> 
> I got a message on Tumblr about why I include the "soundtrack" to the chapters I post. I'm always curious when I read fanfics about what the author is thinking when they write. That's why I give you guys my playlist for the chapter. It kind of shows you where my head is at when I'm writing. For Carnival of Rust, I listened to a lot of Poets of the Fall (namely Carnival of Rust. C'mon 190 plays of it). TBTWWCT was written to a lot of slightly angry/dark music, like Slipknot, Volumes, Manson, and Avenged Sevenfold (To End The Rapture got about 500 plays). I have about 1500 songs on my personal playlist. It's songs that I absolutely LOVE.
> 
> The song that Grimmjow is singing is Why I'm Home by Go Radio. Awesome band. Awesome song.
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post this until the 27th of this month but I'm an impatient fuck. So here's a preview of part III, Deep Six.

Her world didn't end with a bang, explosion, or fire. It didn't stop in silence, whispers, or tears slipping out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

 

No.

 

Orihime Inoue's world ended with one scream at a time, and no one could hear them.

 

* * *

 

When Nel left the clinic, she quickly tapped a text message out on her phone. She was crying and had to keep wiping her eyes because her vision blurred. What was wrong with her?

 

The doctor had said that she might experience more emotional outbursts. He listed all the symptoms of what pregnancy felt like but all Nel felt was exhausted and sick to her stomach. She thought that was because they all would fuck until the early morning hours and wake her up early with bitching and complaining. Orihime would often get flustered and start shouting about something. Grimmjow would usually try to have his way with Ulquiorra, who would let a stream of obscenities fly or scream.

 

She should have never lost her pills. This wouldn't have happened. She wasn't a stupid teenager like Orihime had been when she became pregnant. Nel had her mom get her the pills when she was a teenager. The girl had claimed it was because her period had been erratic. Her mom had agreed. They didn't tell Don about the clinic visit.

 

Truthfully, Nel got them because of Nnoitra.

 

After the time she found herself on his couch, she didn't want the male to take her by surprise and then get her pregnant. That would have been icing on the fucking cake if that happened. When she moved in with him, Nnoitra had thrown the pills out. Nel got pregnant. It had been Nnoitra's. She lied when Ulquiorra had asked if she ever had a miscarriage.

 

She had one but didn't remember it because she was in a coma. She had found out she was pregnant and lost the baby after it all happened. She had no emotional scarring from the incident. Even Grimmjow didn't know this, and she didn't plan on telling anyone. Maybe if she had actually talked to someone about what Nnoitra was doing, she'd be a normal functioning human being.

 

There were a lot of what-ifs that hung in the air at the moment.

 

She set up an appointment for an ultrasound. It was at the end of the week.

 

When she walked out of the building, Nel wasn't paying attention to where she was going and about tripped over someone's feet that were on the sidewalk.

 

She looked up and saw a vaguely familiar man. He was sitting on the hood of a red car with his legs casually crossed at the ankles. Nel looked at his face; pale green eyes and a red mohawk. “I'm sorry,” she said, wiping away more tears that were in the process of drying on her cheeks. “I wasn't paying attention.”

 

“No worries. You're Nel Tu, aren't you?”

 

The woman bit her lip and gave a slight nod. “You look familiar, but right now, I'm having a hard time placing your face.”

 

“Bazz Black,” he said, offering his hand. Nel took it in greeting then promptly let it go. “You tattooed me a while back.”

 

“Oh, of course,” she replied. Nel now remembered him. The man who practically eye fucked her in the waiting area of Candy Ink. She gave him a small smile and turned to walk away.

 

“You okay?”

 

Nel quickly wiped her face again and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just—Never mind. Um, why are you here? Are you waiting for someone? I never see any of my clients out and about.”

 

“Ah, yeah, I'm waiting for a friend.”

 

“You must be a good friend.”

 

The mohawked man gave a shrug as if he didn't care. “So, you busy?”

 

“What?” Nel said, looking into his green eyes. What did he mean by that question? She used the back of her hand and rubbed her eyes.

 

“I asked if you were busy,” Bazz replied. “You look like you need to talk to someone.”

 

Relief flooded through Nel. It was okay, he wasn't asking her out or anything crazy like that. She sighed. “I've actually got to go home. My partners are there waiting for me.”

 

“Partners? Sounds like you're a busy lady,” the man said with a smirk. “I think I want another tattoo. You're available right?”

 

Nel's brow furrowed. What was with this guy? “All you have to do is call my shop and set up an appointment. I'm sure one of my receptionists can help you out. I really have to go, Mr. Black. Have a nice day.”

 

* * *

 

Fuck!

 

Bazz walked into his own apartment and smashed a vase that was sitting on a table in the foyer. He had totally blown that opportunity to get his hands on to Nel Tu.

 

“This is bullshit!” Bazz yelled as he walked into the living room. He stopped short when he saw his half-brother standing by the windows. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

Tsukishima looked back at him. “Rough day at the office, Bazz?”

 

“Fuck off, Tsu.” The man with the unnaturally bright red hair walked over to the small bar that he had and poured himself a shot of whiskey. He drank it straight down, poured another then threw it back into his mouth.

 

“You must have since you're drinking.”

 

“Didn't I just tell you to fuck off?”

 

Tsukishima smirked. “What happened?”

 

What happened? His brother wanted to know what happened? Bazz managed to give a bitter chuckle. “Heh, you want to know what happened today? Let's see, I followed Nel and got caught. I wasn't paying attention because I was too busy thinking about a way around this whole thing.”

 

“What do you mean a way around this whole thing?”

 

“Tch, what if we could somehow talk them into this, instead of doing the whole bad guy thing?” Bazz suggested. “Look, I'm just having second thoughts on the plan.”

 

“Are you suggesting that we show these women mercy?” Tsukishima asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Bazz narrowed his eyes at his brother. He could stand there all he wanted with his white oxford shirt, suspenders, and pressed trousers with his hands in his pockets. No one would touch his half-sibling because of who their father was. He, on the other hand, could easily be discarded. He wasn't a legitimate child. There was no name on his birth certificate where it said, Father. Bazz looked more like his mom than anything. Aizen most likely wouldn't save him if he needed to be rescued.

 

“Nah, I'm just saying delay it. Nel looked pretty upset when she came out of that clinic today,” Bazz replied.

 

The other male laughed. “Awww, Bazz has feelings for a bitch.”

 

Bazz did have feelings for Nel. He wanted her but she was more to him than a piece of meat. It had bothered him that she looked so unhappy. It made him want to go punch the blue-haired man in the face. He was truthfully thinking about becoming friends with Nel and then taking her away from that shitty situation she was in. He could give her whatever she wanted. If she went to Tokyo with him, he could find her new clients if she wanted to continue to tattoo.

 

Of course, he said none of this to his fucked up half-brother. All Bazz did was pour another shot and mutter, "Tch."

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow stood and waited for Nel to pull up in the car. Kenpachi said he'd do some research and ask around about what was going on with Aizen's organization. The dark-haired man asked for the other man's utmost discretion about the whole thing.

 

If Aizen didn't know he failed in taking Ulquiorra's life, he didn't want the man to find out.

 

Grimmjow had pointed out that maybe the girls had secret admirers. Maybe this guy knew a lot about Nel. It was pretty much public knowledge about Nnoitra's death. Nel's name was all over the article in the paper and the news. If someone had seen her picture in that magazine that came out last year and started to become obsessed with her, it was possible?

 

The entire notion was silly but at this point, Ulquiorra would consider anything that could be a threat to the girls. He would do anything to protect Orihime and Nel. He'd burn down half of Tokyo if it meant that he could keep them safe.

 

“Didn't you say Orihime was assaulted by two men?”

 

“Yeah, that was a while ago. Right after we agreed to move in,” Grimmjow replied. “Why?”

 

“Just wondering. Where'd you pick her up that day?”

 

The blue-haired man looked at him, “I dunno. It was some university.”

 

“What did they do to her?”

 

“They were talking to her. She got up and they pushed her back down. They talked some more and she got up again. I got out of the car. I called out her name. They saw me and she came running,” Grimmjow said. “Why? What are you thinking?”

 

“Nothing, just thinking of angles,” Ulquiorra answered.

 

Nel pulled up in the car just then. She looked shaken and she got out of the car and into the backseat. Both men looked at each other, then at the woman. They had both gotten the text message that said she had news. Ulquiorra couldn't help to notice but she looked terribly pale and shaken.

 

Was Nel that sick? Was something seriously wrong with her?

  

* * *

 

They were all in the entertainment room. Nel said that she had something to tell everyone. Two men and a woman sat on the couch while Nel paced in front of it. Her hands were shaking and she really didn't know what to say. Taking a deep breath, she had thought about what the doctor had told her.

 

She was several months pregnant; two to four months along. They wouldn't know exactly unless they did an ultrasound which was scheduled for later that month. She took another deep breath and glanced at the two men. Was it Grimmjow's? Was it Ulquiorra's?

 

She didn't know.

 

“What is it?” Grimmjow asked, clearly annoyed that she wasn't saying anything.

 

“Are you gonna leave us?” Orihime asked, in a timid tone.

 

Nel shook her head. “No, it's nothing like that.”

 

“Something is wrong,” Ulquiorra stated.

 

The teal-haired woman looked at him. How did he know? Could he see the distress on her face? Had he found out somehow? “Yes,” she answered.

 

“Well, what is it?” Grimmjow asked.

 

“I'm—I'm—” she sighed. Why was this so hard? Why wouldn't the words just come out of her mouth?

 

“Nel, are you okay?”

 

“I'm pre—pre—preg—” Her voice shook as she tried to get the sentence out.

 

“Are you trying to say you're pregnant?” Ulquiorra asked, standing up. Grimmjow stood up too. He probably thought Ulquiorra was going to attack or something, Nel thought.

 

Her hazel eyes snapped to his green ones; he looked almost angry. She didn't know why he would be angry. Hadn't he been pissed off that Orihime had a miscarriage? Why did he sound so mad? She looked at Grimmjow who stared at her in disbelief. He wasn't giving her an idea of what he was thinking. Finally, Nel swallowed the lump in her throat then nodded.

 

“Well, fuck,” Grimmjow muttered.

 

* * *

 

Orihime went to her room after Nel told them the news. She kept the lights off because she didn't want anyone to bother her. It was late at night, so it was dark. She picked up the Jizo statue and sat down on her futon. People were talking. She could hear footsteps out in the hall and doors opening and closing.

 

She looked up when the light in Grimmjow's room came on. His room kind of faced hers. He had windows on two sides. She could see there wasn't much in the room. He had a snare drum, a music stand, and a stool. Orihime knew that there were a bunch of boxes inside of the closets that faced his room.

 

He had just stared at Nel after she told them the news like he couldn't believe what she had said. Orihime was happy for the other woman but at the same time, she felt her heart breaking. She was supposed to have a baby. Tears fell from her eyes and she sniffled.

 

Would the pain always be there? Would she always carry it around? She gave a heavy sigh as she rocked the statue. Orihime could see that Ulquiorra looked mad but she wasn't sure what he was feeling because a wall came down behind his eyes. He didn't say anything to anyone.

 

Did he think the baby could be his? Was there a possibility of it? What would happen if Ulquiorra was the father? What would that do to everyone living in the house? What would that do to him and her?

 

She looked through her windows into Grimmjow's room. He was sitting on the stool and gently drumming on his snare. Orihime watched as he started drumming harder until he finally cracked the stick and threw it. She slightly flinched at that action.

 

Grimmjow looked angry. He looked irritated. He looked irate. He stood up kicking the drum off the stand and throwing the music holder. Orihime's heart went out to him. His world had just changed in an instant, without any warning. She knew how that was.

 

He kicked the stool but it didn't fall over, so he sat down on it. He started shaking his head. He opened his mouth and it started moving. Was he talking to himself? Or was he was singing.

 

Orihime couldn't hear him from here.

 

There was a knock on her door and it slid open a little bit. Nel's head popped in. Orihime shoved the Jizo statue behind her. “Can I come in? We need to talk,” the woman said.

 

“Sure, but don't turn on the lights.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I just don't want them on,” the redhead said. She didn't want Nel to see the Jizo statue. She didn't want Nel to see she was crying. She didn't want to alert Grimmjow to the fact that she could see him. She could see Nel walking across the room and the woman sat down beside her on the futon, leaning against the wall.

 

“Oh, I see what you're doing. You're watching Grimmjow. What's he doing?” Nel asked as she laid her head on Orihime's shoulder.

 

“I don't know,” she replied. “He was playing his drum and then he started throwing stuff. I think he's singing.”

 

It was quiet for several minutes before Nel spoke again. “Orihime, I didn't mean for this to happen,” the teal-haired woman said softly.

 

“It's fine Nel, you don't have to explain or apologize. It's nature. I'm happy for you,” Orihime said, still watching the man with blue hair. He had to be singing. His mouth would move with words and then it would stay open for several moments. She was trying to distract herself from Nel's half-ass apology. “You should get some rest. Pregnancy makes you tired.”

 

“Orihime, the doctor told me something. I think you need to take a pregnancy test.”

 

The redhead laughed at Nel. “That's silly. I've been taking my birth control...” She paused because the words that came out of her mouth sounded really bitchy. “I didn't mean it like that. I just meant I've been taking them every day I've had them. The doctor said I couldn't get pregnant if I took them.”

 

“It's fine. Mine just got lost during the move. I should have gotten them refilled but it just seemed like I had no time,” Nel said. “Look, I don't know if—”

 

Orihime gave a small snort. “If you think you're busy now, just wait. You'll have more than enough to keep you occupied.”

 

She felt the other woman sigh and lift her head. “I can see you're not in the mood for this discussion. I just need the peace of mind. Take a pregnancy test.”

 

Nel patted her leg and then stood, walking out of the room. She turned to the left instead of the right. That meant she was going toward the bedroom. Once she heard the bedroom door shut, Orihime stood and walked out into the hall. She went the opposite direction of Nel and rounded the corner to make her way down to Grimmjow's room.

 

She could hear the song from outside his door. He was singing softly. Ulquiorra had a beautiful speaking voice. Sometimes, when he launched into a speech, she would let his voice soak into her skin. It felt like velvet and silk at the same time.

 

Grimmjow had a great singing voice. It was rough at times but sent shivers up her spine. He must have started singing a new song. She slid down the wall and sat by his door, just to hear the private little concert he was giving himself.

 

“ _I could paint your picture all night long..._ ”

 

Did he write this song? No, she had heard those words playing on his phone while he was doing the remodeling work in the kitchen and bathroom.

 

“ _And tell you tales of every song...”_

 

Orihime knew that Grimmjow almost never sang unless it was for special occasions or his band needed his vocals. Why was he doing this?

 

“ _Still let you know that you're the reason...”_

 

Her breath caught in her throat, waiting for him to finish the lyrics.

_  
“Why I'm home...”_

 

As she listened to more of the song, Orihime felt tears welling in her eyes. Grimmjow's voice was becoming more emotional with every word he sang with his deep voice.

 

“ _Don't think that this will be easy...”_

 

Why did it feel like her heart was breaking? Was it because Nel was pregnant and the father could be Ulquiorra? Was it because of the child she lost? She drew her knees to her chest and put her forehead against them.

 

“ _Saying that you love me... When lying tongues are clumsy...”_

 

She didn't realize she was sobbing until the door to Grimmjow's room open and she looked up at him, hiccuping. Orihime almost looked scared as the man pulled her to her feet. Within an instant, she was inside the room and the lights were turned off.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was upset. He was angry that Nel said she was pregnant. He was upset because of the fact that the baby might not be his. He was just angry! He started playing his drum but eventually got so mad, he cracked one of the drumsticks on the rim. He threw them across the room. He destroyed the music stand and the snare.

 

By the time he got back to the stool that was in the room, he had no energy. So, he just sat down and did the one thing he found solace in when no one was around. He started singing quietly. He had no idea he had an audience. He didn't know he was being watched.

 

The blue-haired man had heard shuffling in the hallway and he paused before launching into another song. He wasn't feeling any better but the words gave him comfort. This was tearing him apart.

 

He was surprised as he heard someone crying outside his door as he reached the end of the song. Had someone heard him? He carefully walked over and opened it surprised to see Orihime. She looked up at him; her face was so pitiful. He pulled her up and into the room, closing the door behind her. Grimmjow was surprised as she flipped the light switch off.

 

“Why did you do that?” he asked her quietly in the darkness.

 

“Because, I don't want anyone to see us,” she replied.

 

He scoffed. “What are you embarrassed by me now?”

 

Blue eyes could barely see her head shake in the darkness. He felt her arms go around his torso. “I can see into your room when the light is on. You can see your room from the kitchen.”

 

“You can?” Grimmjow asked. The anger quickly faded away. He was suddenly self-conscious. What kind of things had people seen? Had they seen him jerk off? Had they seen him singing? Had they seen him playing his drum?

 

“Mmmhmm,” Orihime answered.

 

Grimmjow wrapped the young woman in his arms. “What are you doing here, Orihime?”

 

He could hear her sniffle. “I'm lonely. I want—I—”

 

If his heart could break for the woman a third time, it would have just then. She sounded so lost and in pain. Of course, hearing that Nel was pregnant probably hadn't helped the young woman's state of mind. Being a foot taller than Orihime, he had to lean down and kiss her. His hands cradled her ass, picking her up.

 

She knew exactly what to do. She held onto him tightly; her arms slipping around his neck. Grimmjow could have groaned right there. He had her back in his arms. No one else was around. Ulquiorra went somewhere after the talk, and Nel was most likely asleep because he saw the bedroom light turn on then off.

 

He could have her to himself for a while. He deepened the kiss by letting his tongue run over her mouth. A thought hit him with the force of a ton of bricks. It was a bitch how reality slapped you in the face sometimes. Grimmjow pulled back from the kiss and looked at the redhead in his arms. Nel told him he could potentially be a dad and the only thing he could think of was having sex with Orihime. He sighed and hugged her. “You need to go back to your room, Princess,” he said.

 

“Why?” It was her who pulled away from him this time. “I don't understand.”

 

“Orihime, please, just—”

 

“You need someone right now, Grimmjow. I saw it. I heard it,” she whispered. “I want you. I need you, right now.”

 

His eyes slid closed. She was right. He did need someone right now, but not like this. “Baby, I want you too,” Grimmjow paused for a moment. Reluctantly, he set her down, kissing her forehead. “Not like this though.”

 

Turning his back, he missed her fist balling up and the anger that contorted her face. He probably would have missed it anyway since the room was dark. “I am tired of this.”

 

“What?”

 

“I'm tired of it!” she shouted. “I'm tired of everyone treating me different! I'm tired of people trying to control me. I could walk out of that door and not look back at any of you. I think I'd be happier if I did that.”

 

“Princess, what's wrong? I'm trying to follow our rules and respect you,” Grimmjow said, pivoting on his heel and looking at her. She was hard to see in the darkness. “Orihime, please, don't do this.”

 

She whirled around and stomped out of the room. He closed his eyes after hearing the front door slam. He should probably go after her but he didn't have the energy to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go Radio – Why I'm Home  
> Placebo - One of a Kind  
> Anamorphis - Silent Waters  
> Gorillaz – On Melancholy Hill


	2. Instruments of Demise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima happens to run into Orihime but has his plan foiled. Grimmjow gets yelled at and finds the redhead who won't say anything about what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Attempts at wittiness here.
> 
> Lame explanation here.
> 
> Social media account to whore self out here.

When Orihime left the house, she didn't have her keys or her phone with her. She just slipped on her shoes and left. She just started walking, not knowing where she was going. Anger flooded her brain. She was so sick and tired of everyone in that house and their behavior! They were like a bunch of toddlers throwing fits.

 

She continued moving until she felt an unnatural chill slide into her stomach. Someone was watching her? There was someone out here. Orihime stopped and looked around. All she saw were quiet, dark houses and trees. Where was she? How far had she walked?

 

Her feet started carrying her forward again. She wanted to get out of there but she stopped short as a man walked in front of her. She had difficulty swallowing the lump in her throat.

 

She knew who he was. “Tsukishima,” she whispered his name quietly. She involuntarily spoke it.

 

He must have heard her because his head swung her way. The streetlamp showed him smirk and an eyebrow raise. What the hell was he doing in her neighborhood? He had his hands in his pockets as he walked towards her.

  
  
Orihime couldn't move. She couldn't run. Even if she did run, she had no idea where to go. It was often times that Grimmjow picked her up from the train station. If she went anywhere with Ulquiorra, he guided her to the place or they took the bus.

 

She never paid attention to her surroundings when with other people. As he got closer, she decided to confront him, this man who seemingly irritated her to no end, instead of running away.

 

His body stopped mere feet from hers. “What are you doing here, Orihime Inoue?”

 

“I should be asking you the same thing,” she replied.

 

“I live in this neighborhood,” he said in a haughty tone. The smirk was still plastered on his face. “Don't you live in the dorms?”

 

“It's none of your business where I live,” she stated.

 

“Oh, don't tell me you're doing the walk of shame. Did you have a little...” He paused. Orihime never took him for someone who needed to search for words though. Whenever he answered a question in their shared class, he was rather eloquent. “Fun tonight? Most of the people up here are quiet families with children. Sleeping with a married man?”

 

He took a step towards her and she took one back. How many times had she participated in the tactic of advance and retreat? It felt like too many. “What is your problem with me? Do you like harassing strangers?” she rudely asked.

 

Orihime was surprised by his chuckle. Why was he laughing at her?

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was worried. He paced the entrance hall and waited for Orihime to walk back in. He had tried to call her phone but he heard it ringing in her room. She didn't take anything with her, she had just left.

 

Should he go out looking for her? He didn't think she knew the area well. Often times, when he took her somewhere, she was either animatedly talking to him or playing on her phone. He heard keys in the door and turned thinking it was Orihime but he scowled as Ulquiorra walked into the house.

 

“Whoa, what the hell's wrong with you?” Ulquiorra said, as he slipped off his shoes and put them in the closet beside the front door.

 

“Fuck, I thought you were Orihime,” Grimmjow grumbled.

 

Ulquiorra did a double take at him. “Wait, what? What do you mean? Orihime isn't here?”

 

Grimmjow shook his head. “We kind of got into a fight and she left.”

 

“ _SHE LEFT? YOU JUST LET HER LEAVE?_ ”

 

“Keep your fucking voice down! Nel is asleep,” Grimmjow said in a sharp voice. He didn't need her to wake up and freak out also.

 

“Why didn't you go after her? She doesn't know her way around the neighborhood!” Ulquiorra replied. “Grimmjow, what the fuck did you say to her to make her leave?”

 

His blue eyes dropped to the floor. Grimmjow didn't want to say what the problem was but he saw Ulquiorra come into his field of vision. The man was squatting on the floor in front of him and staring at him with angry green eyes. “Grimmjow, we are worried about their safety and she left. Does she have her phone?”

 

“No.”

 

“What did you fight about?”

 

“It doesn't matter.”

 

“Yes, it does; she left.”

 

Grimmjow sighed and threw his hands up. Why did this guy not understand? It wasn't important why they fought! But he found himself yelling, “I wouldn't have sex with her.”

 

Ulquiorra looked at him with wide eyes. “You what?”

 

“I wouldn't have sex with her,” Grimmjow said. He stared at the smaller man with an angry expression. He knew he fucked up. He didn't think it was fair to Orihime to use her like that. It's the reason why he told her to go back to her room.

 

“Go fucking find her or I will; when I get back, I'm going to kick your ass,” Ulquiorra said in a threatening manner. “Then I'm gonna change those fucking rules and have _my_ girlfriend all to myself.”

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima's smirk grew wider as he watched the redhead look around. She was lost. Bazz had texted him to say that Orihime had run out of the house. She'd been in the blue-haired man's room screaming at him. The lovers were having a quarrel. It had amused him greatly.

 

The four of them were torn apart so casually and came back together fluidly. He wondered if they would be so easily repaired once his project was put into full motion. The flowers had been a warning. Tesla and Szayel had given him the information he had needed.

 

Bazz had frowned when he found out that the teal-haired woman was also sent the flowers. His brother was an idiot. People were used for playing around with, not getting attached to. His father had shown him that.

 

He had conned his father into purchasing a home in the same neighborhood as the woman who currently had his interest. He had told his father he was interested in the real estate business along with what his duties would be in the future. Aizen had given him a long look but finally conceded.

 

The house was large, as with most houses in this neighborhood. The price tag was hefty; Aizen paid almost one-hundred and ten million yen.

  
  
Tsukishima was just using it as a front to watch the woman. From a young age, he'd been very focused on certain things. He liked seeing people mentally break. He enjoyed seeing people collapse. His own mother had called him a psychopath. His various stepmothers had all told Aizen that there wasn't something right with him. They had been correct.

 

His father had listened to none of them. He loved his son.

 

Tsukishima was the one that told Aizen that Tier had a visitor while he was away during the business trip when that bitch had her portrait drawn. He had hidden and watched how the blonde woman had invited that man into his father's home.

 

He had told a lie but it served a purpose. He changed the visitor logs to show that Cifer had entered the building several times when he wasn't scheduled to be there. He had unhooked the surveillance cameras.

 

He held a grudge against the woman.

 

Three years ago, Tier had been his girlfriend. The model had caught Aizen's eye. Aizen doted on her; buying her baubles and other trinkets. She left him for his father. Tier told him no hard feelings but being a model didn't pay much and his dad had much more money. Tsukishima told himself he wasn't bothered by the whore's action. He would bring her down; send her toppling from the pedestal that she perched on.

 

Tier's face had been so frightened when Aizen pulled her into his office. It made him smirk.

 

Tosen, Bazz, Tsukishima and several other members of his father's organization were in the room. They were there to pass judgment on the woman. It was Bazz who ruined his fun and suggested going after the artist. Aizen whipped Tier as punishment then went to talk to Hirako.

 

It hadn't been enough for Tsukishima. He wanted her dead. Tier didn't realize the depths of Tsukishima's wrath. He knew if she said anything that it would be an admission of guilt that she had solicited the artist. All she could do is cower when he was around.

 

“Why are you laughing?” Orihime asked, breaking through his thoughts. He was brought back to the present. He raised an eyebrow.

 

Oh, if she only knew what he knew; she was not a stranger to him. He practically knew everything there was to know about Orihime Inoue. Tsukishima knew everything about everyone who lived in that house.

 

He knew about Nelliel Tu and her history with Nnoitra Gilga. Szayel and Tesla had provided a lot of details about their relationship. They described the times that Gilga had raped and beat the woman. The men still felt some attachment toward the dead junkie because they'd been belligerent about having her part of this project. He knew her father had ties to Zaraki's operation.

 

He knew about Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's troubled childhood. Tsukishima knew that when Grimmjow's father died because of a riot in an American prison, his mother kicked him out of her house. He knew that he pined over Nelliel for years. He knew that the guy had an interest in construction and working with his hands. He made some money and was known around Nikko because of a local band.

 

He knew about the rich boy, Ulquiorra Cifer and how he was sitting on an engineering empire that made several billion yen a year. He knew that his father had created various funds to set up the guy for life. He had chosen to be a lowly member of society with visible tattoos. The male was incredibly smart, getting top grades while in school and had been accepted to several prestigious universities in Tokyo but chose not to go because he had not been accepted at an art university. Cifer had wasted his potential by pursuing his dreams instead of reality.

 

“Orihime Inoue, everything I've heard about you has said you're kindhearted,” he said, amused. The girl shifted her stance like she was going to run when he said her name. Where would she run? “From what I've experienced, you are too quick to judge people. I've done nothing to you.”

 

He knew who she was. Tsukishima knew her parents had been abusive; a prostitute and pimp who made quick cash to cover an alcohol and drug habit. She was three when her brother ran away from home with her. The man had died six years later and she had been on her own, living alone on a meager stipend from a relative that wanted nothing to do with her. She got a job while in her tenth year of high school at Candy Ink Tattoo. He even knew who the young woman's friends were. He knew of their affiliations.

 

The only one that concerned him was Kurosaki. His father had ties to associates of Zaraki's operation in Nikko and Karakura.

 

The woman looked almost offended at his words. It was true, he hadn't done anything to her... Yet. He had plans though.

 

A beep came from his watch and he looked at it. Bazz had texted him. Tsukishima was so glad he invested in one of these watches that was connected to his phone. It helped keep him from distractions.

 

_Cifer home. Blue left the house. Abort._

 

“If you turn around and walk to the next block then turn left, you should be close to your home,” Tsukishima said. He turned around and walked back up his driveway to the empty house.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow almost ran over her. She walked out into the street, he was glad he had good reflexes. He slammed on the brakes and then turned off the car. He jumped out of the vehicle and walked around the piece of metal. He hugged her to him.

 

“Are you okay? I didn't see you,” the blue-haired man said as he checked her over. He noticed her shaken expression. “Orihime, what happened? Did you get attacked? Did someone hurt you?”

 

“Noooo,” she said. She was shivering. It wasn't really that cold outside because it was the end of summer. It was warm.

 

His eyebrows furrowed. He guided her to the car and opened the passenger door. She got in and still remained silent. “Princess? Are you sure you're okay?”

 

Her redhead shook her head. “Stop it, I'm fine.”

 

Grimmjow got into the car, softly closing the door and looked at her. “Orihime, I didn't want to take advantage of you. I don't want you to think I just want you for sex. Also, it's pretty shitty and selfish of me to just think of sex with the news we just got.”

 

She folded her arms over her chest and looked out the passenger side window. “It's fine, Grimmjow. Just go somewhere.”

 

“Where do you want to go? Do you want to go home?”

  
“No.”

 

He furrowed his brow and watched her for a moment. He wasn't sure but something had happened to her. She didn't want to talk about it though.

 

“I want to go to a park.”

 

“Princess, it's midnight and you want to go to a park?” Grimmjow asked. “Can't we just go home and talk about this?”

 

“No, I want to go to a secluded park,” Orihime stated.

 

He said nothing as he started the car again and drove through the streets. He didn't say anything until she reached across the space in the car and put her hand on his thigh. “What are you doing?”

 

“Just drive.”

 

“Orihime, you're being distracting,” he said as her fingers scratched against the jeans he was wearing. “Will you talk to me? What happened?”

 

He let out a low hiss as her hand started to gently massage between his legs. “If you do not stop, I am going to pull over and fuck you in the back seat,” Grimmjow growled. She didn't stop, if anything the friction increased. “Okay, if you don't stop, I'm gonna turn this car around and take you home where I can have my way with you properly.”

 

The redhead's hands were back in her lap. He let out a sigh of relief. His blue eyes glanced at her. “Orihime, you're the one who said we needed to talk but you're the one who isn't saying anything. Something happened to you, I can tell.”

 

“Grimm—”

 

“Don't Grimmjow me, dammit! I'm not stupid.” He was getting angry. He didn't like being upset while driving. He tended to get road rage when that happened. So, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He didn't calm down, so he pulled over. The car was turned off and Grimmjow looked at Orihime. “Talk.”

 

He watched as Orihime bit her lip and then sighed. She looked up at him; Grimmjow could see the tears in her eyes. “This has to do with the fact that Nel's pregnant, doesn't it?”

 

At first, she shook her head and then nodded. Yes and no? He was confused. “You're not making sense, Orihime.”

 

“I was upset because of Nel's being pregnant. I can't help think that I should have a child,” she said quietly. Her hand came up and wiped her face. “Have you ever met someone you instantly didn't like? That soon as you saw them, your blood ran cold for some reason?”

 

“I don't think so,” Grimmjow said. He had never had that feeling in his life. He knew that Ulquiorra and Nel had experienced it with Nnoitra. “Why?”

 

She sighed and turned her head towards the window. “Let's just go home,” she finally said.

 

“No, we're going to talk about this,” Grimmjow said.

 

“I don't want to. Not right now.”

 

Grimmjow wasn't going to take that for an answer. He used a hand to make her look at him. For a moment, guilt lanced through him, because if he'd just left her alone all those months ago, she would be a normal university student. She wouldn't have these problems or worries.

 

He caressed her cheek then leaned over to kiss her slowly. Orihime responded to this by opening her mouth slightly. Their tongues slid against each other. As much as Grimmjow wanted this, they were in public. “I'm gonna take us home,” he said, once he pulled back from her.

 

“No, here,” she stated. Grimmjow gave a sigh as she threw his words back into his face. “You said you wanted this months ago. You said you wanted to have sex with me in your car, what's the problem?”

 

“Princess, I don't want to have sex with you.”

 

“Okay, so, you want to fuck.”

 

“No!”

 

Had Grimmjow just rejected her? No. He wasn't rejecting her. He didn't want to just have sex with her or fuck. He wanted to...shit... Grimmjow sighed as realization came over him. He wanted to make love to her. They stared at each other for a long time. The silence in the car was deafening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lauren Aquilina - Talk to Me  
> Andy Black - They Don't Need to Understand  
> Callum Scott - You Are the Reason  
> Ben Cocks - So Cold  
> Lauren Aquilina - Sinners  
> Sixx Am: - Skin


	3. Hotline Bling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Orihime have fun over the phone after her rescue. Nel broods, the boys get into a fight and Bazz shows up... again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t own. Don’t sue. Characters are Tite Kubo’s. Story is mine.
> 
> No sex in the champagne room... Gosh, I'm old. 
> 
> Anyways, there is sexual activity in this chapter. Namely masturbation, blowjobs, phone sex, and fingering. This shouldn't be shocking if you've read my fics.
> 
> Using sex, drugs, pain and other destructive means to avoid problems is a serious thing. I’ve done this after several events in my life (not drugs but the pain thing. I have a lot of tattoos). It screws you up. Orihime does it because she doesn’t want to deal with the fear.

Ulquiorra was annoyed as he stayed up waiting for Grimmjow to call him. After the other man left, he had changed out of his clothes and into some pajamas. He had to do laundry if he was wearing them. He walked down to the laundry room and then loaded the washer. He started the machine.

 

He was now sitting in the entertainment room watching whatever the blue-haired man left in the DVD player. He muted the sound and picked up his phone. It'd been long enough, he should have found her by now. He didn't realize that the movie he had turned on was a porn.  

 

Thumbing through his meager contacts, he tapped Grimmjow's name and put the phone to his ear. It rang, once, twice and the blue-haired man picked up on the third ring. “What the fuck?”

 

“Uh,” he said. He wasn't used to rude greetings. His black eyebrows furrowed. Grimmjow sounded strange. “What do you mean what the fuck?”

 

“Noth—uuughhh.”

 

“Are you okay?” His ire was growing as Grimmjow groaned again. Did something happen to Orihime or him? “Grimmjow? What's wrong?”

 

“Not a damn thing,” Grimmjow stammered through the phone. “Jesu—”

 

He could hear the man panting rapidly. “Are you with someone? That is totally against the rules! You were supposed to go find—”

 

“By someone, do you mean a certain redhead who has her mouth—Unnnnnhhhh—around me?”

 

Ulquiorra's breath caught in his throat as relief spread through him. “You got her; did you find her?”

 

“Mmmhmm.”

 

“Where are you now?”

 

“Parked on a street.”

 

The thought made his dick get hard. Grimmjow was getting head from her in public? He would never be so bold. Yeah, he had fingered Orihime in the dining room but it was inside the house. He'd never have public sex like that.

 

His gaze flickered to the TV and he had to swallow. The scene showed a woman performing oral sex on a man.

 

“Ulquiorra?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“I'm gonna hang up.”

 

He didn't know what came over him as he cradled the phone between his face and shoulder. One of his hands snaked under the pajama pants he had put on. A sensation ran through his body. “No,” he replied. "I want to hear it."

 

“Fuck, that's hot,” Grimmjow moaned. “You two are trying to kill me, aren't you.”

 

“I dunno.”

 

His cock tightened uncomfortably, constricted by clothing. Ulquiorra brought his erection out of his pants and was lightly running his hands up and down the length. He had an erotic vision in his brain now. He had gotten head from Orihime before. It had been an awesome experience but he didn't really like blowjobs though. He was extremely ticklish where his legs met his body. He kept this a secret from everyone who he had been intimate with.

 

He could hear Grimmjow groaning and he could faintly hear Orihime whimpering. Was Grimmjow touching her?

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Ulquiorra was surprised by the question. “Why do you want to know?”

 

“You're jerking off, aren't you?”

 

“I'm considering it. You left a porn in the DVD player,” the green-eyed man said in response. “Are you touching her?”

 

Grimmjow groaned loudly into his ear. Ulquiorra could imagine him trying to hold off and biting his lip. “Nah, just grabbed her tit,” the other man replied. “She's got jeans on.”

 

Pale fingers ran up the underside of his cock, from his balls to the head. Ulquiorra watched his hips jump involuntarily with half-open eyes. Blood was pulsing through him and his hand wrapped around his skin.

 

Between watching what was going on the television screen and Grimmjow's breathing, it didn't take him long to start jerking his cock. He knew where to apply the right pressure and touches. Ulquiorra decided to take this up a notch. He was going to try something he would never do while having sex with a person.

 

“Does she feel good, Grimmjow?”

 

“Mmmm.”

 

“Doesn't Orihime have a hot mouth? Do you like what she's doing to you? I bet you would like it if both of us were doing that, huh?” Ulquiorra said into the phone. His voice was low and husky. He heard the man growl. “That turns you on doesn't. You want me and her to suck you off, don't you?”

 

“Fuck, Ulquiorra.”

 

“You know what would be hot?” the dark-haired man said. “Having you on me while you're fucking her.”

 

“Oh...shit—Orihime—I'm gonna—”

 

Ulquiorra smirked as he heard the fevered pitch of Grimmjow's breathing reach a climax. The man let out a long groan and he knew that he was close to coming himself. He'd always been interested in dirty talking while having sex but he found that he couldn't do it because he felt it took away from the intimacy of the moment.

 

“You're still jerking off, aren't you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You want to hear her come?”

 

Desire shot through his body, stronger than ever. “Give her the phone and you better make sure—”

 

“Fuck you. I know how to please my women.”

 

* * *

 

Orihime had been confused when Grimmjow answered the phone but she kept up what she was doing. It was keeping the fear and the emotional pain away at the moment. She didn't have to think of anything. Then she felt his hand on her body. She made noises. He was talking again. She was going out of her mind with arousal.

 

Grimmjow came and she compared him to the taste of Ulquiorra. He didn't really have that slightly salty and tangy taste of the dark-haired man. She sat up and watched as Grimmjow tucked himself back into his jeans and then handed the phone to her.

 

She looked at him quizzically. Grimmjow gave her a nod. “He wants to talk to you,” he said. “Lay the seat back.”

 

The redhead did as he said and she found herself staring at the roof of the car. She felt Grimmjow's hands on the fastenings of her jeans. She took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

 

“Woman,” came the silky reply.

 

“Ye—yes?”

 

Grimmjow's fingers were shoving the clothing down. She could feel the jeans sitting just above her mid thighs, her panties exposed. “Tell him I'm ready,” the blue-haired male said.

 

“He's—Grimmjow said he's ready,” Orihime said.

 

“Tell Grimmjow to touch you through your underwear first.” Orihime did as he said. Grimmjow placed his hand on her thigh and then she felt his fingers touch her very gently. She gave a small whine.

 

“Orihime,” came the voice from the phone. “What is he doing? You need to talk to me.”

 

“He's tracing circles between my legs.” Her words faltered as Grimmjow increased the pressure. She had enough sense to ask him an important question. “What are you two doing?”

 

“It's more training, Woman. You're going to get used to the idea of two men at once.”

 

“Like—like you did to Nel?”

 

She heard Ulquiorra groan and his breathing sped up. “Yes, exactly like that. I don't want to come too soon, so please, don't put images in my head.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Tell Grimmjow what you want him to do to you.”

 

Orihime felt her face get hot at that command. “I can't. It's too embarrassing,” she replied.

 

“Then tell me,” the monotone voice said.

 

“I—I—I don't know what I want. I just want to come. I want to get off.”

 

“How?”

 

She felt the man sitting beside her briefly slide his finger under the elastic of the piece of clothing. The redhead knew what she wanted and she had been truthful when she said it was too embarrassing to say. She could just imagine it though. “Grimmjow, would you... please... use your fingers... inside me?” she asked in a breathless voice.

 

“Fuck yes.”

 

Her ears heard Ulquiorra chuckle.

 

“Are you really that turned on, Woman?”

 

“Mmmhmm.”

 

Another chuckle. “I'm imagining what you would look like on both of us. Do you think you could take that? Do you want it?”

 

She felt two of Grimmjow's fingers enter her and she cried out. Ulquiorra kept saying things into her ear and she felt like her body was on fire. The mental pictures that flicked through her head were almost too much. Orihime had seen what Nel looked like the night they all had sex together.

 

The emotion she felt was jealousy as she watched the woman grind against both men. It was Grimmjow who urged her to make out with the woman. Orihime had done so and touched Nel's body. She came on Ulquiorra's face while her fingers were touching between Nel's legs. The teal-haired woman told her to be gentle while rubbing her clit.

 

Orihime wanted it. She wanted both of them; all of them. Grimmjow's fingers were bringing her closer and closer to that peak. It wouldn't take her much to be pushed over it, descending into the madness of an orgasm.

 

“Ulquiorra,” she said.

 

“Woman?”

 

“I'm close to—I want to—” she whimpered. It was so close she couldn't form sentences. “Tell me—”

 

“Tell you what? How much I want to bury myself inside of you? How much I want to lick you? How much I want to fuck you in the—” His words were cut off. She knew he had come; she could hear his breaths. They were erratic. He was trying not to make any noise.

 

“More, Grimmjow. Moremoremoremore,” she managed to say. It was like a chant coming from her mouth.

 

The man with his fingers inside of her eagerly complied and soon she was experiencing the same bliss the other two had. Grimmjow hadn't backed off and she could feel herself crying out through gritted teeth. Then she felt incredibly wet as another orgasm spread through her.

 

Grimmjow extracted his hand from her pants and he grabbed his phone from her. She hazily watched him put it to his ear. “We'll see you when we get back,” he said then pushed the red dot on the screen.

 

* * *

 

Nel was waiting in her office at her tattoo shop. She was irritated. It'd been about two weeks since she told them about her pregnancy. She had gone back to the clinic when her appointment came. She was twelve weeks pregnant today. She and Grimmjow had fought the morning of the ultrasound. He didn't want to go with her. So, she was there alone. The doctor had looked at her with sympathy.

 

If she did the math, it could have been Grimmjow's. It could have been Ulquiorra's. It was most likely Grimmjow's.

 

She had woke up alone in the huge bed the morning after. She found Ulquiorra asleep on the couch in the entertainment room. The television was on and the screen showed some porn that Grimmjow had bought a while back. She turned that off and then walked down the hall to Orihime's room. She didn't need to open the rice paper screen to see the vague outline of two naked bodies.

 

Nel had done so anyway. Pantera ran out of the room and past her, down to the laundry room where one of the litter boxes were kept. She saw Grimmjow's naked butt peeking out from under the edge of the blanket. She could see Orihime's naked chest. They were curled around each other.

 

What made Orihime so great?

 

That's what had her in a bad mood.

 

What made the young woman so great that she got to sleep beside Nel's boyfriend like that? Why did she get to see the more romantic side of Grimmjow? Why was she so special that she got the attention of both men almost constantly?

 

Nel felt like she was insignificant compared to the other female. She never got bothered when she was taking a bath or a shower. She never got bothered when she was watching a movie or was in her room. She never got accosted while doing laundry. She never had anyone cuddle her at night. Grimmjow was constantly slipping into the bathroom while Orihime was taking a shower. They both knocked on her door when it was closed and she was in there. Nel had seen Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, on two separate occasions, fuck the young woman on the washer or dryer. Both men were always curled around her or each other.

 

She shook her head. Nel had to quit thinking negatively. She had a client coming in today and she didn't need to be distracted. Quickly, she typed some keys into her computer and brought up the schedule. She was tempted to cancel because of her mood.

 

If she did that she would lose out on the money. She would just sit there and brood. She would overthink things about Orihime, the men and the anniversary that was looming in the distance. That was like a bucket of ice-cold water being thrown on her.

 

Nnoitra's death.

 

Although it happened a while ago, it was still very fresh in her mind. Nel was getting better at suppressing the memories. The past six months, she barely thought about him because she had been so busy. So much had happened that he hadn't been a priority. The memories would infiltrate her thoughts if she went under the water in the bathtub. He pulled her underwater once, twice. They would come if she drank anything besides beer. During the last weeks of their relationship, he always smelled like some kind of liquor. When his face flashed into her mind, it felt like he was right there and had punched her in the stomach.

 

It physically hurt.

 

If she was home alone, she'd let the tears fall down her face. She would sob.

 

When she got those flowers weeks ago, she had panicked. She had broken down in front of her employees. Rangiku had been one to pulled her into the office because she had been there while Nnoitra had harassed her in school. Orihime had followed expressing her confusion as to why Nel would react like that. They were only flowers.

 

Were they only flowers?

 

No, they weren't. They were reminders of a certain long-haired individual with squinty, beady eyes and the wide smile who decided to deceive her with innocent blossoms and seemingly harmless conversation. She had felt so conflicted as she began to think of him as something more than just an enemy.

 

Nel shook her head and took several deep breaths. She had to focus. She had to get her head on straight. She needed to be on her game.

 

She didn't trust Bazz Black. He'd turned up other places but Nel had pretended to ignore him or be engrossed with her phone. It was almost time for his appointment time and Nel left her office, walking to the front of the building. She moved past Ulquiorra's room and heard voices.

 

It was Grimmjow.

 

She paused and opened the door. Both men instantly grew quiet as she popped her head in. “I can hear you in the hall, be quiet.”

 

“I would be quiet if this dumb ass would back down,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Tch, you just can't handle the fact that it is a possibility that I could be the father,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“Are you two done? Did you want to embarrass yourselves further while we have customers?” Nel asked before shutting the door.

 

* * *

 

Bazz was lying on Nel's table with his shirt off. She was preparing her equipment. He turned his head and watched her. “You okay today?” he asked.

 

She nodded and bent the tattoo needle slightly before inserting it into the machine. The housing of the tattoo machine was in the shape of a filigree butterfly. She did the same thing to another needle which was inserted into a machine with a teal metal skull. The third machine had a metal rainbow.

 

“You look upset or like something is bothering you,” he said. All he was trying to do was make polite conversation. He wanted to get to know her better. “I know I'm a stranger but if you ever need an unbiased ear, I'd be willing to listen.”

 

Nel gave him a small smile as she stood. “Thanks, but I don't like to mingle with my customers. It just leads to awkwardness.”

 

She used the deodorant stick on his left pectoral area then carefully laid the stencil onto his skin, pressing the design down, making sure it would transfer. He closed his eyes when he felt her do this. He was only coming here to get tattoos because of her.

 

The first tattoo she had done on Bazz was an H surrounded by watercolor flames on his upper left arm. His friends called him Heat. He didn't know if it was because he was hot-headed or because he always had a gun on him. What Nel had designed for him this time was a stylized gothic B with an arrow pointing away from the letter. That would be surrounded by flames and then the fire would join around his shoulder.

 

He saw her raise the stool she was sitting on then put on a pair of black gloves. She picked up the machine with the butterfly on it and her foot tapped something. The machine came to life. The tip was dipped into a tiny, black ink filled cup and Bazz watched as she brought the needle to his skin.

 

The burning pain was good but she had warned him that it would hurt. Bazz's breath hitched as he watched her.

 

“You need to breathe, Bazz.”

 

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” he said. “I didn't realize that I was holding my breath.”

 

She flashed another small smile at him. “Just relax,” Nel said.

 

Bazz tried to relax but it was hard to do with her there. He wanted nothing more to touch her. He flexed his fingers as the needle ran into a particularly sensitive spot. He heard her tap her foot again and the machine stopped the buzzing. She sprayed something onto his skin and then blotted the liquid up with a paper towel.

  
  
That was such a soothing thing; feeling that cold liquid against burning skin. She didn't wipe it away like normal tattoo artists did; Nel's fingers would gently dab the skin. While she was giving him a moment's break, he stretched his arm out and accidentally brushed his hand across her stomach.

 

The touch sent a jolt of electricity through him. She appeared shocked at the contact. “Sorry, my arm was cramping up.”

 

“Oh. You ready for me to fill in the B?”

 

“You're done, uh, what do you call it...” he trailed off. “Outlining it?”

 

“Yeah.” This time she had the rainbow machine in her hand and the needle was wide. Tap. Buzz. “This is a mag. It fills in and shades things. I used one when I did your H.”

 

He nodded and waited for the pain return. She was very careful as her free hand stretched his skin, pulling it this way and that way. It lasted for about thirty minutes.

 

“So why did you decide on B this time?” Nel asked as she sprayed a paper towel with the bottle and then dabbed at his skin.

 

He hissed at the temperature difference. “B for Bazz.”

 

“How did you get the name Bazz?”

 

“It's what my dad named me. The full name is Bazzard.”

 

“Bazzard? Damn, that's a unique name,” Nel commented. “I thought me and my friends had weird names.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mmmhmm.” She stuck the tip of her tongue out between her teeth as she carved into his skin.

 

“Nel doesn't sound that weird,” Bazz replied, not able to remove his gaze from her mouth.

 

She dabbed at an area and tapped her foot again. “It's Nelliel, I hate my name though so people just call me Nel.”

 

A chorus of loud voices made Bazz's eyes dart from her face to the door. It sounded like someone was fighting. He glanced at the woman, “You gonna go see what that is?”

 

“I know what that is. It's just two idiots who have no idea how to act in public,” she replied. Nel pulled off the gloves and threw them into the trash can. She stood and excused herself. Bazz was amazed because as soon as she walked out of the room, it got really quiet.

 

She was definitely the woman for him if she could command that much respect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hailee Steinfeld, Grey ft. Zedd - Starving  
> Sleeping With Sirens – Iris  
> Jason Walker - Everybody Lies  
> Craig Armstrong Ft Evan Dando - Wake Up In New York  
> Mayday Parade - Terrible Things  
> Smashing Pumpkins – Go  
> Lorde - Team


	4. Bitter About September

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orihime eavesdrops on a fight between Grimmjow and Nel, which leads to the teal-haired woman to a new tattoo. Something bad happens to Orihime. She and Nel get into a small fight and then our favorite female tattoo artist has to deal with everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> This was kind of a hard chapter to write because I had to go from happy to sad, unhappy to erotic, happy to scared, unhappy to downright miserable. I hope things are kind of coming together.

Two weeks passed by and it was now well into September. One more week and the very-unhappy-anniversary-that-no-one-would-talk-about would be upon the three of them. The fourth was still trying to grasp the concept of why Nnoitra's death had been so devastating to them. If he had caused so much pain then why weren't they happy he was gone?

 

Orihime didn't understand it.

 

It was an early morning for her. She had a class that day but she was enjoying just laying beside the blue-haired man who had his leg and arm thrown over her. It wasn't meant to keep her there, that's just how he slept beside her. They'd been sleeping like this for almost a month now. Some nights, he would sleep in the big bed with all of them. Some nights, they would sleep in her room. It was those mornings afterward that she would wake up happy and relaxed but tired.

 

Grimmjow didn't have the stamina of Ulquiorra though. When she slept beside the dark-haired man, she would wake up feeling boneless and utterly exhausted. It was worth it though. She felt content.

 

Reaching out with her arms, Orihime stretched. She could feel the pull of her muscles as she contemplated her day. She had class and then was meeting with some of her friends from university for lunch. There was a new cafe that opened up close to the school and they all wanted to try it out. After that was over, she had another class or study group, she couldn't remember, and finally, she had to work.

 

It was going to be a hectic and busy day for her. She had to start getting ready if she was going to be on time.

 

Orihime turned and nuzzled Grimmjow's neck. “Grimmjow, you need to wake up,” she whispered into his ear.

 

“No,” he muttered before pulling her closer to him. “You're warm.”

 

“C'mon, wake up. I need to get ready for class. You said you'd take me to the train station,” she said with a smile. Orihime saw a sliver of icy cerulean peeking out from under his eyelids. He was awake, he just didn't want to get up, she thought. Or he wanted sex before they started their day.

 

“Princess, can't you skip class for one day and spend it with me? We could spend all day in bed.”

 

He wanted sex.

 

Orihime shook her head. “You've got to go to work yourself. Remember? The client and the headboard?”

 

“Ugh, don't remind me.”

 

“Up, up, up! I'm gonna go take a shower,” Orihime said, untangling her limbs from him. She stood and went to retrieve her robe from the closet. It was a long butter-yellow silk robe with white cranes stitched into it. Ulquiorra had bought her for her birthday. It looked like a kimono but he assured her it was not one and she could use it.

 

She turned and saw Grimmjow sitting up. He was watching her.

 

“What?”

 

“I'm coming with you!”

 

He did come with her and in her; they spent a long time in the shower. Orihime was the one who had to pull away from him. They weren't expecting anyone to be up that morning. Both Nel and Ulquiorra had worked late last night.

 

When they walked out of the bathroom, hand in hand, Orihime blushed as Ulquiorra glanced at them before going into his room. She tried not to feel guilty as his eyes ran over her. Ever since the night she had gotten lost, he'd been acting off.

 

She didn't want to talk about it though. If he wanted to tell her what was bothering him, he would have to come to her. Orihime wasn't responsible for anyone's happiness except her own. Grimmjow kissed her hand before leaving her in her room. Orihime had blushed and smiled shyly. She wasn't quite used to all of this attention. She was getting dressed when she heard the yelling start.

 

It continued for several minutes. Nel was screaming at Grimmjow. With a sigh, she left her room, sliding the door close and then walked down to the dining area which connected to the kitchen where she found the teal-haired woman screaming at the blue-haired man.

 

“Just because it happened years ago, doesn't mean I'm not affected by it!”

 

“Nel, stop letting it! He's gone, let it go. He didn't send you flowers,” Grimmjow said. "He's dead. He was cremated. He has been ashes in some garbage pile for a long time."

 

“You've never have understood anything about what I went through,” Nel accused him. “You always brushed my concerns about him off. You treated me like it was my fault.”

 

“ _I NEVER SAID THAT_!”

 

“You didn't have to! It was written all over your face!” she yelled. “If you had balls you would have said something years ago and I wouldn't be like this! Did you think I didn't see how you would look or stare at me back then? Did you think I was stupid?”

 

Orihime could see Grimmjow's jaw muscles flex. He was getting angry. She shrank around the corner, out of sight. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of this fight.

 

“Would it have made a difference once you were with him?” Orihime heard Grimmjow ask. His voice was strangely low and calm.

 

“Yes,” she replied. Her voice said she was on the verge of tears. “I needed help. No one was there. You don't know what it's like to be abused like I was. Nnoitra took everything away from me and what he replaced it with pain and fear. I had no concept of safety or love. All I knew was him and his hatred. I didn't understand it but I knew it.”

 

Orihime heard someone behind her and she turned to see Ulquiorra, standing there. He had a deep frown on his face. She looked down at the floor because he was studying her. There was a lot more going on than she knew. The three of them had a history that she wasn't a part of. 

 

“You had a fucked up way of looking at things, Nel. Why would you think letting Nnoitra do anything to you would make him stop? Why even give him an inch?” Grimmjow asked. “You're still letting him do that. You're giving him the room to torment you! Don't say I didn't help, I warned you about him. You're not going to blame me for not speaking up, you didn't say anything either.”

 

“I was so scared if I made you chose between us, you'd pick him over me; that's why I never said anything!” The redhead heard a sob and then Grimmjow making comforting sounds. Orihime peered around the corner and saw the blue-haired man had Nel wrapped in his arms.

 

Orihime turned and walked by Ulquiorra who moved out of the way. It was like he didn't want her to touch him.

 

* * *

 

He was in a bad mood. It was his own fault. He'd been daydreaming and building a future with her in his head. Ulquiorra was bothered by the fact that she came out of the newly remodeled second bathroom with Grimmjow, holding hands.

 

Orihime was her own person. He had to accept that she wanted both of them. It was going to be a hard thing to do though. Ulquiorra frowned as he heard the fight this morning. He had caught Orihime eavesdropping but he didn't say anything. Right now, he didn't want to deal with her. It cost him too much energy to brood on thoughts of her.

 

As much as he wanted her for himself, he still had feelings for Nel to deal with as much as he would like to deny it. He knew he didn't love Nel; Ulquiorra was certain of that much. He felt affection for her. It kind of broke his heart that morning hearing her cry.

 

He knew the anniversary of Nnoitra's death was soon. He knew that the former friend's death impacted Nel greatly. He'd been around for the first one. The teal-haired woman had fallen apart and it took Grimmjow about a month to put her back together. Now, five years after his death, she was breaking down again.

 

He was angry too. Nel's declaration that she was pregnant didn't sit well with him. He didn't want to put hope into another woman to get his heart smashed again. He thought a lot about what Nel said. She had told him how many weeks she was along and there was a good possibility that it wasn't his kid but he needed to be prepared.

 

Prepared for what? For the ass-kicking of a lifetime from gangsters and Grimmjow for knocking her up? Prepared for her getting rid of it?

 

There was a knock on his door, and Rangiku stuck her blonde head inside. He scowled at her. “You've got a customer,” she said before disappearing.

 

The green eyes narrowed. He had a customer? He didn't recall being scheduled for anyone until later that night. With a sigh, he walked out of his work area and to the front. The only person standing there was Nel.

 

“Where's Rangiku? She said I had a customer.”

 

“You do.”

 

He arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean I do? I don't see anyone but you...” he trailed off. “Wait, are you my—Fuck.”

 

“Ding. Ding. Ding. He catches on quick.”

 

“C'mon.” Ulquiorra said and turned back around. He reentered his room and didn't bother waiting for Nel. She was the one that closed the door. “What is this Nel?”

 

“I want another tattoo,” she replied.

 

“You want me to tattoo you?”

 

She shrugged. “Rangiku or Don usually do mine but Rangiku is going to college; she only works here part-time because she knows that she doesn't want to be a tattoo artist forever. So, she's basically done with inking people. I don't want Don to tattoo me. He's done most of the work on my back. He doesn't want to do another piece—“

 

“What about Renji or Rukia?”

 

“You're going to pass off a job on to another artist?”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. She wasn't going to make this easy. It bothered him more. “I was just wondering why you didn't go to them first.”

 

He watched as Nel bit her lip then sat down on the low massage table. “I forget how short you are,” she said with a smile. When Ulquiorra didn't take the bait, she sighed. “I want you to do it because, you know, we're roommates.”

 

“Anymore, we're bedmates too,” he stated.

 

“Yeah, you've noticed that too?”

 

“How could I not?”

 

Nel gave a curt laugh. “It is nice to wake up and find you holding my hand,” she said.

 

“I don't know why—Well, yeah, I do know why I do it. You don't like cuddling or people being around you while you sleep,” Ulquiorra said. “So, I figured I could hold your hand.”

 

“I never pegged you for a cuddler.”

 

“I don't like it when Grimmjow wants to do it. He smothers me,” Ulquiorra said with a sigh. He studied the woman very carefully. “Do you really want me to give you a tattoo?”

 

The teal-haired woman nodded. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. It was a chibi version of a praying mantis. He looked up at her and gave her an inquiring look. She didn't stare at Ulquiorra for long. “Nnoitra reminded me of a mantis. I have these too,” she commented before pulling more paper out of the pocket of her jeans.

 

The other two showed a chibi version of a sleek white cat with a mane of blue hair and the other a black bat with green eyes and white horns. “What is this?”

 

“Well, it's—”

 

“Grimmjow and—me?”

 

Nel nodded at him while slightly blushing. Ulquiorra didn't understand what Nel was going through at the moment but he gave a nod. He understood the whole notion of physical pain to eliminate emotional pain. He'd done it before.

 

“I'm not very good with color, you know that,” he murmured.

 

“Try your best? It's just flat color; no shading or anything.” Nel replied.

 

“Nel, I don't think you should be getting anything tattooed that would point to me on you. You might regret it. You know, later on in your life when I'm out of the picture,” Ulquiorra finally said. It's how he felt. He didn't want Grimmjow fighting with him because his pregnant girlfriend had a bat tattooed on her body. He didn't want to be blamed when she was in her thirties and hated the sight of him.

 

“Cifer, I'm paying for it. Please.”

 

“I'll do the mantis. Where do you want it?”

 

“Most of my tattoos concerning Nnoitra are where I can't see them, so I can't be reminded of him on a daily basis,” Nel paused. “I'm thinking either the inside of my thigh or the top of my butt. I mean my back is completely covered.”

 

Ulquiorra could feel himself becoming aroused as much as he tried to stomp the feeling down. Either area would put him in close proximity to a part of her body he was familiar with in an intimate manner. He bit his lip and glanced up at her with half-lidded eyes. “You are an evil queen.”

 

She smiled at him.

 

After he was done tattooing the mantis at the top of her ass, Ulquiorra fucked Nel in his tattooing room. He had her bent over the massage table he used for inking people. He had his hand over her mouth so if she cried out, the sound would be muffled. He leaned against her and whispered dirty things into her ear. She whimpered and shivered on him.

 

Once they both came, Ulquiorra kissed her. “Keep your money, lady. This one is on the house,” he said with a smile. She grinned at him before leaving the room. He quickly made himself decent and then proceeded to clean everything.

 

* * *

 

Orihime was laughing and having a good time with the other ten people sitting at the table. The cafe had been a huge success. They had the most amazing mango cake, she had ever tasted. There were five males and five other females crowded around two tables that had been pushed together.

 

She sat between a fellow teaching student, Izuru Kira and a young woman who was in her Ethics class named Riruka Dokugamine. Each of the individuals was in her classes or study groups. They got along fairly well, except Riruka and the guy named Yukio. They clashed often though.

 

“How long have we been here?” Riruka asked with a mouthful of cake before she downed the rest of her cup of tea.

 

Most of the people pulled out their phones. Orihime did and she gasped when she saw the time. “I'm late! Shoot!”

 

There was more laughter as she gathered her things to rush out of the door. She had to come back into the cafe to grab her phone which she had left on the table. She had to run if she was going to make the study group in time. She was almost ten minutes late when she reached the library.

 

She apologized to the group leader and sat in the only available seat which was right next to the person she did not like. No one noticed her discomfort except for him. Tsukishima smirked at her. Orihime glared at him before she got out her things for this part of the class. She didn't know why being a part of a study group was a requirement for early childhood education. She listened to the person speaking about a topic with her head propped on her chin.

 

She wasn't paying attention. She was too busy lost in her thoughts. Maybe if she had been paying closer attention, she would have noticed the hand on her leg sooner. It was when something brushed in between her legs that she jerked out of her daydreams. Looking down at her lap, she saw a hand gently rubbing her inner thigh. It didn't belong to her or anyone she lived with.

Orihime glared and followed the arm which belonged to her neighbor. He was marginally closer to her now. He definitely had not been that close. Tsukishima was sitting there listening to the speaker intently. He still had the smirk on his face. She reached down and grabbed his wrist.

 

He turned his head slightly and glanced at her. Both of his elegant eyebrows were raised slightly. Orihime gave him a hateful look before removing his hand from her leg. She opened her notebook and scribbled a sentence on it and slid it over his way.

 

_What is **your** problem?_

 

He quickly jotted down one word and handed the notebook back to her. What she read made her blood run cold. It should not have scared her but suddenly, Orihime feared for her safety and that of everyone she lived with. Her mouth went dry.

 

_I know._

 

* * *

 

Nel watched Orihime walk into Candy Ink. The young woman looked rattled. She walked out of her office to the front. The redhead was hanging her bag up in the cabinet and she jumped when she turned around.

 

“Did I scare you?”

 

“Yes,” Orihime answered.

 

“You okay?”

 

The teal haired woman saw Orihime's glance and it made her worry more. “I'm fine. Nothing's wrong,” she said with a smile. “It's been a long day for me.”

 

“Come back with me,” Nel said. It had been a long day for her too but she wasn't complaining. She pressed her lips into a thin line. It wasn't Orihime's fault that she had Grimmjow's attention. At least, that's what Nel tried to convince herself.

 

Once the women were in the office, Nel shut the door. She invited the redhead to sit in the chair in front of her desk; she took the other one. Nel took a deep breath and said, “Orihime, the doctor told me something. I think you need to know it.”

 

“Why would _I_ need to know something _your_ doctor told you?”

 

The teal-haired woman sighed. “Did you have unprotected sex while taking your antibiotic?”

 

“That's a kind of personal question,” Orihime said, looking offended. “It's none of your business. If you're saying I'm pregnant that's impossible. I took _my_ birth control pills.”

 

“That's not fair, Orihime!”

 

“No, it's not fair but that's the way things are, Nel.”

 

“You should take a pregnancy test. I'm only telling you this because when you take—”

 

“Did you go to medical school?” Orihime asked, her tone was flat-out bitchy. Nel had never heard the redhead speak this way. “No, you're a tattoo artist.”

 

“Excuse me?” Nel said before standing up. She looked down at the redhead. “When you take antibiotics and birth control, the antibiotics negate the effects of the birth control. Go get a test and take it.”

 

Orihime rolled her eyes and walked out of the office. Nel sat at her desk and fumed. How dare that little _whore_ talk to her like that!

 

* * *

 

Later that week, Candy Ink was closed for the day. Nel laid in bed. She listened to the inhabitants of the house going about their business. September, the twenty-fourth, was a hard day for Nel to handle. She had tried to get out of bed a couple times but she didn't have the energy for it. She and Orihime hadn't said a word to each other since that day in Nel's office. No one commented on it because the entire household was in a somber mood.

 

She had slept until noon on this day, five years ago. She didn't know when she woke up that it would be the last time she would see Nnoitra's face. She didn't know it would be the last time he would touch her. Yeah, they were punches, but still. It would be the last time she would hear his voice. If she knew that this was going to be the end of them, she wouldn't have acted so insolently.

 

Five years ago, she had been pregnant and didn't even know it. A part of her was glad that Nnoitra had done that because she didn't know if she could have gone on to have his baby without him being around. He had saved her the heartache of seeing him everyday living through their child. The other part of her hated him for it. He had left her and took the one thing she could have remembered him by.

 

She knew she still had flawed logic when it came to him. It was a constant tug of war going on in her head about things that she loved about him and things she hated about him.

 

This is what Nnoitra had done to her. He took what she knew which was family, love, security, and safety and replaced it with fear, pain, confusion, and anger. Sometimes, Nel wondered if he even loved her. Had she ever truly loved him or had her teenaged brain dismissed her mother's words to her as a young girl? 

The words had been dismissed. In one ear and out the other. She had fallen for the first guy, not her best friend. The first guy had destroyed her, ripped apart and broken her. Nnoitra had abused and damaged her, only to die and leave her with this anguish and agony.

  
  
Nel felt her world crumbling in on itself. She started sobbing. Deep gut-wrenching sobs tore from her chest and she couldn't stop them. She rolled to her knees and pressed her face to the mattress to muffle the screams that came from her. She thought the house was empty. Nel's breathing hitched when she felt the bed shift.

 

Grimmjow sat beside her. He touched her hand. She could see tears in his eyes. Why was he crying? It's not like he was bothered by Nnoitra.

 

The teal-haired woman felt herself being pulled into his arms and then lap. He was stroking her back and he was holding her. She didn't want his sympathy. She didn't want his pity.

 

“Nelliel, I'm sorry.”

 

More tears spilled from her eyes. More sobs came from her mouth. Grimmjow just held her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eminem - Stronger Than I Was  
> Vitamin C – Unhappy Anniversary  
> Marilyn Manson - Speed of Pain  
> Something Korporate - Konstantine  
> Go Radio - Go To Hell (Piano)  
> Andy Black - Love Was Made To Break  
> Temple of the Dog - Say Hello To Heaven  
> System of A Down - Aerials  
> New Radicals - Some Day We'll Know  
> Jacquie Lee - Broken Ones  
> Adele - River Lea


	5. The Rage of Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima's plans are foiled again. Grimmjow is fighting with everyone. Nel is fighting everyone. She then tells Ulquiorra what could have happened. He buys a pregnancy test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> So, there is violence in this chapter with blood. There's something called Prepartum/Prenatal Psychosis or something like that. It's where a woman flips the fuck out and goes crazy. I know about this, it's happened to me several times during all of my full-term pregnancies (like once each pregnancy). Have I beaten the crap out of anyone? No, but I did pull a knife on one of my previous partners but that's a different story for a different time.

A week later, Tsukishima was supposed to meet with Bazz but his sibling was running late. He was hanging out at the mall watching a certain redhead and dark-haired man. Bazz said his surveillance of the house had shown that things were strained between the four people. It had been that way since Tsukishima touched the redhead.

 

Cifer went to his own room every night. The blue-haired man slept on the couch. Orihime Inoue slept in her room. Nel slept in the big bed all by herself.

 

This was good. They needed those bonds of friendship to break. If they didn't shatter then it was no big deal; it would make breaking the redhead that much more fun.

 

Tsukishima was surprised when Orihime glared at him. She had spirit. He could tell that much she removed his hand from her body. He had only done it because she was totally lost in thought.

 

He had to focus. This was not the time or the place to think about how she had felt under his fingers. His watch beeped again. Bazz sent him another text.

 

_\- Abort. Blue hair saw me. Abort, Tsu._

 

Ugh, he hated when his plans were foiled.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was pissed off.

 

The four of them were supposed to go to the cinema and see a movie but Nel was being stubborn. She didn't want to go to the movies with Orihime. Something had been up since before the twenty-fourth had come along. Two weeks later, it was still there.

 

He didn't know what but it was wrecking his sex life. Ulquiorra said if he wasn't being such a dick, maybe he'd be able to get laid. This prompted them both to get into a shouting match about Nel and the baby. Grimmjow almost punched the guy.

 

Then the dumb ass had the nerve to tell him that if he the baby was his, he'd take Nel as his own girlfriend since it seemed Grimmjow wanted Orihime so much. The blue-haired man scoffed.

 

“You couldn't fucking take anything even if it was given to you!”

 

“ _Really_? Because I've taken your virginity. I took Orihime's virginity,” Ulquiorra responded.

 

“You took one.”

 

“Actually, my dick was the first for everything,” the dark-haired man retorted.

 

“ _What the fuck_? I am gonna kill you, bastard!” Grimmjow shouted.

 

It had been nothing but animosity since Nel announced she was with child. They were supposed to be going to her parents' house this weekend to tell them that they were gonna be grandparents. Grimmjow would be waiting for the ass beating by Dondachakka and Kenpachi with bated breath. No, it wouldn't be those two, just Kenpachi.

 

He twisted his neck and felt it crack as Nel sat stubbornly next to him in the car. “Are you gonna get out?” Grimmjow asked.

 

“No, I'm not walking in the mall or the cinema just so I can watch you and Ulquiorra drool all over her. So, why don't you go get a hand job from _Princess_ in a dark theatre,” Nel said in a snide voice.

 

Grimmjow's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. He had never heard Nel speak like that about anyone. Yeah, she got mad but what woman didn't? Nel had never said an unkind word about anyone. “What is your problem? Is it this pregnancy thing? That paper said you'd be emotional but that was downright savage. You've been in bitch mode.”

 

“Fuck off.”

 

Not this fucking shit again. He gave a low growl. He didn't like it when Nel got like this. She didn't do it often but when she did it was brutal. She knew how to fight because of Nnoitra's abuse. Grimmjow would never hit her but she had beat the crap out of him a couple of times. Maybe if he tipped her off, she could get it out of her system and she would return to the nice and calm Nel that he loved; not this she-bitch. It usually happened around the beginning of October, sometimes sooner.

 

“Were you trying to get pregnant?” he asked.

 

“Are you fucking crazy?”

 

“I'm just asking. Maybe you wanted a kid with Ulquiorra. How many times did you fuck him without a condom? Were you two planni—”

 

Her hand came out of nowhere and his head slammed into the back of his seat. “ _Motherfucker_ ,” he groaned, cradling his nose. He glanced over at her and glared. Nel was returning the look.

 

“No, Grimmjow I wasn't trying to get pregnant. I was under the impression that you never wanted to have fucking kids. We've never talked about it! I'm so screwed up that I don't think I need to have kids.” Nel's voice was seething with underlying rage. “So,  _fuck no_ , Grimm, I was never my intention to get pregnant. Especially by you or that emo-twat.”

 

With that Nel, exited the car and stomped away. Grimmjow had to hurry after her. He caught up with her, spinning her around. “Look here, you little—”

 

He noticed that Nel wasn't looking at him but behind him. He turned and saw a flash of a red mohawk and a white jacket getting into a red sports car. His eyes narrowed and he let her go. He started stalking that car, his feet carried him to it by their own volition. He knew that asshole. He knew who he was and this time Orihime wasn't around to stop him from pounding the guy into the ground.

 

“Where the fuck are you going, Grimmjow?”

 

“I know that bastard. I know who he is,” he shouted back at her. “He attacked Orihime.”

 

“Oh God, someone touched the _Princess_! She was probably pissed that a guy wouldn't make her the center of their universe. Dear Lord, why don't you just kiss her ass and be done with it,” Nel taunted as he kept walking.

 

The blue-haired man stopped in his track and pivoted. “What did you say about her?”

 

His attention was pulled from Nel because the sports car took off with squealing tires. “Fuck! Dammit, Nel! Why do you have to be such a bitch?”

 

He got punched in the nose again. He and Nel were back in the car. Tapping on his phone contacts, Grimmjow called Ulquiorra because his nose was now bleeding profusely and blood was everywhere; on his hands, shirt, jeans. The other couple soon joined them and they'd brought a stack of paper towels along.

 

“Why is he bleeding?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

“Because he is an idiot,” Nel deadpanned.

 

“I wasn't aware that idiocy made people spontaneously bleed from their nose,” the dark-haired man said with a frown on his face.

 

“New phenomenon,” the teal-haired woman replied with a straight face.

 

Grimmjow lifted his hand and stuck up his middle finger before getting another paper towel, holding it to his nose. “You both can go to hell for all I care.”

 

* * *

 

She-bitch didn't go away. Nel steadily got worse as the day wore on. The next morning she was absolutely temperamental. She started screaming as soon as she saw Orihime. Grimmjow was out of the entertaining room as fast as a gun leaving a bullet when he heard her screech. He arrived just before Ulquiorra did.

 

“Oh look, your boys have arrived,” Nel said in a saccharine voice. It held a poisoned sweetness, ready to strike at any moment.

 

“What is wrong, Nel?” the dark-haired man asked.

 

“I don't know. Perhaps, I'm tired of being a doormat for you all. I'm tired of being walked on, which each of you have done! You've all taken advantage of this situation and of me,” the teal-haired woman replied.

 

“It's the pregnancy hormones, Nel. Take your ass back to bed and wake up on the right side of it,” Grimmjow retorted. He couldn't believe this was going to go on for a second day.

 

His girlfriend scoffed. “Ha! Why so the homewrecker can have her little way?”

 

“I am not a homewrecker.”

 

“Ah! It speaks. Of course, you're not a homewrecker, _Doll_. You're a whore, just like your little orange friend said,” Nel spat. "Wait, he called you a slut."

 

“I'm the whore; the slut? I'm not the one who got pregnant and doesn't know who the father is! I knew who the father of my child was!” Orihime looked just as mad as Nel.

 

“You're a whore! You had to have Grimmjow. You knew it was wrong the first time and probably the second time! You knew the entire time you were fucking him that I didn't know. You could have told me yourself instead of relying on him to say something,” the pregnant woman screamed. “I gave you a job. I gave you opportunities and you stabbed me in the back! I was your friend and this is how you repaid me.”

 

Ulquiorra came between the two women. He held a hand out to Nel and said, “You're being irrational, Nel. I understand you're angry. I've been in your shoes. Think about this and calm down before you burn a bridge that you can't repair.”

 

Grimmjow watched Nel's hazel eyes search Ulquiorra's face and then she turned and went back to the bedroom. He looked over at his friend and raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck are you? Are you the Nel Whisperer?”

 

* * *

 

Nel sat in her room on her yoga mat, towards the windows that looked out at the small pond that was in the garden, and breathed. Inhale deep breaths then exhale. She had gotten so upset that morning that she could feel her heart pumping and it scared her. She called the clinic and they told her to calm down. If she continued to feel anything weird such as chest pains or found herself unable to breathe to come in. Otherwise, they would see her at her appointment next week, after they did another ultrasound.

 

She hadn't meant to get that angry at Orihime. It just had burst out of her mouth. Nel felt so ashamed. Her behavior since the twenty-fourth of September had been deplorable. She knew this. She had gone into one of her rages and punched Grimmjow in the nose twice.

 

The day at the mall she had seen Bazz. He was looking straight at her and he looked concerned. She practically could find the man in a crowd. He was always staring at her. It was starting to unnerve her. When Grimmjow turned around, Bazz had jumped into his car.

 

“Knock, knock.”

 

Ulquiorra.

 

She didn't want to talk to anyone right now but she found herself saying, “Come in.”

 

One rice paper screen slid open and shut then the second did the same thing. Nel turned her head and saw him standing by the door. He must be afraid of me, she thought for a moment. She used her arms and turned herself around so that she was looking at him.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

 

Nel nodded. He walked forward and sat on his feet in front of her. She automatically raised her eyebrows. That was not a normal position for Ulquiorra. “Okay, so what is it?”

 

“Do you know who the father is?”

 

She sighed. Were they going to talk about _this_? “No, I don't. I'm not certain. I haven't even registered the pregnancy yet, Ulquiorra.”

 

“Registered the pregnancy?”

 

“When a woman gets pregnant she has to tell some government office and they give the woman a coupon book. It's for doctor visits; they decrease the amount that you have to pay,” she explained. “You have to pay for everything first then you get reimbursed after the child is six months old. I don't know, I've not done a lot of research into it. I'm going by what Rangiku told me after she had Gin. I remember Orihime doing it.”

 

“I see. Do you need the funds for appointments?”

 

“No, Ulquiorra. I'm not going to ask you to pay for something that is probably not yours.”

 

The green-eyed man frowned. “I have a question to ask you but it's rather embarrassing. I'm not sure how to put it.”

 

“You can talk to me about almost anything,” Nel said with a small smile.

 

“Orihime usually turns me away when I want sex while she's on her period. Almost every single day this month, she's not denied me once. I'm wondering if that is normal or if I should tell her to go to the clinic,” he asked quietly. “Maybe she needs different birth control or something is wrong?”

 

Another big sigh. He knew when to ask the hard questions, didn't he? Nel shook her head. “Remember about two, maybe, three months ago when Orihime's nipple got infected?”

 

He nodded. “She had to take that other pill... the antibiotic. She kept complaining about it.”

 

“My doctor told me that when a woman takes an antibiotic while taking birth control it cancels it out. She could be pregnant. I don't know. I've asked her to take a test but she refuses and keeps throwing it in my face that she has been taking her pills,” Nel replied.

 

He scowled for a moment. “What do you mean it cancels out the effects of birth control?”

 

Nel looked at him in an incredulous manner. Did he not comprehend what she had just said? “I lost my pills. When I stop taking them, I got pregnant, right? Well, something with the antibiotic, it does the same thing, practically.”

 

“She's been having unprotected sex—”

 

“With both of you,” Nel finished. His eyes unfocused and he stared at nothing. She watched Ulquiorra take his hands and press them together. There was something going on behind his eyes that she didn't know how to take. Nel waited for several moments before she said his name quietly, “Ulquiorra?”

 

“Hmmm?” In an instant, he was looking at her, with a concerned face. “Sorry. I was reliving things. I was really happy when Orihime got pregnant before I was shot. I was on cloud nine. I—”

 

“You don't have to say anything.”

 

“I know, I need to tell someone though,” Ulquiorra said. “After I learned that she lost it, I was destroyed because I had all this hope that I had something to tie her to me; that I was going to experience something I thought I could never attain. Then I rationalized it, I became relieved. I know it sounds horrible but we were in no position to be parents at that moment. I would have been just some guy giving some girl financial support for a kid that I would eventually resent. I didn't want to be tied down after the truth came out about her and Grimmjow.”

 

Nel was shocked. She had never seen this side of Ulquiorra. All she had seen pertaining to Orihime's miscarriage was anger and alcohol. “I can understand that. I don't know if I'm ready to be a parent. I said something really shitty to Grimm the other day. I don't know what is wrong with me. I'm a mess.”

 

She was surprised as Ulquiorra's head bowed to the floor. “I apologize if you feel I've taken advantage of the situation or of you. I did not intend to do so. My only intention to this whole situation was to win Orihime back. That's why I agreed to Grimmjow's proposal. I did all of this for my own selfish means. I question it on a daily basis, but I am finding myself having feelings for you too, Nel. I can not say I love you but I feel deep affection concerning you. Even if the child is not mine, I will protect you. If you need anything, I will provide what I can.”

 

The teal-haired woman had to hold back tears as he sat back up and then stood. Nel nodded and said, “Thank you, Ulquiorra.”

 

* * *

 

He left the house earlier than normal so that he could make a detour before going to work. Ulquiorra walked into the correct store near Candy Ink and looked around. He had no idea where to find a pregnancy test. He didn't want to ask anyone either.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

He turned around to see a young woman. “Um, yes, I would like to purchase a pregnancy test.” It sounded weird too his own ears. If someone had told him years ago that he would be buying something like this, he would have questioned their mental ability. “Uh, my girlfriend needs one.”

 

The woman nodded once and started walking further down the aisle. She gestured to the boxes on her left. He thanked her before she left to walk to the front of the store. Ulquiorra bit his lip and looked at all the options. He didn't know which one to get. Could he call Nel and ask?

 

No.

 

He'd already embarrassed himself enough that day in front of her. After standing in front of the products for a whole five minutes, he finally just picked the most expensive one and took it to the cashier. The woman rang him up and he was out the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tool - Sober  
> Red Hot Chili Peppers - No Chump Love Sucker  
> Apocalyptica - Bittersweet  
> Massive Attack - Teardrop  
> Girli - Not That Girl  
> Bebe Rexha - I'm Gonna Show You Crazy  
> Bullet for My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall  
> KoRn - Another Brick In The Wall (Parts 1- 3)  
> Marilyn Manson - Deep Six  
> Red Hot Chili Peppers - Real Men Don't Kill Coyotes


	6. We're Going On An Adventure!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra tries to talk to Orihime. Nel has a visitor. Grimmjow takes the redhead shopping with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> THIS IS ONE CHAPTER WHERE AN ORGASM IS FORCED or it's implied that it's forced. There are also VIBRATORS! DILDOS! SEXUAL INNUENDOS! Orihime's not to keen on the whole sex toy thing.
> 
> Also, title comes from the Hobbits meme with Merry running off.

Orihime had been surprised when Ulquiorra slid a small box across the front counter when he walked past her. She looked at him and then the box. “What is this?” she asked.

 

“It's a pregnancy test, Orihime,” he replied.

 

“I know but why? I've been taking my pills,” she said.

 

He grabbed her hand, the test and pulled her through the black curtain. She protested because she was supposed to be up front waiting for customers. Ulquiorra opened the door to his tattooing area and ushered her inside.

 

He closed the door then leveled a stare at her. “Yes, I know you have but in the past month—almost two months now. You've not denied me or Grimmjow the pleasure of your body. I'm not stupid Orihime, I know. You have a rice paper screen as a door, I've seen you sleeping beside him. Don't deny it.”

 

“Hmph.”

 

“When was your last period?”

 

“What?” she asked. Orihime immediately blushed and became flustered. She stammered. “That's personal—You don't need to know that! That's not something that concerns you.”

 

“I don't? It's not?” He questioned, arching an eyebrow at her. “Woman, everything about you concerns me. Let me tell you this, I know your last period ended before you allowed me to engage in anal sex with you. I know this because I have carefully planned out when not to bother you with sex. Two months have passed since then. Please, take the test.”

 

She huffed and left the room. There was no way she was going to take that test. There was nothing wrong with her that warranted it! So what if her period was late, she was under a lot of pressure. There was the school; everyone in the house; Tsukishima kept bothering her; her job although not demanding in any capacity was still a stress factor.

 

Flopping down in the chair at the counter, she scowled. Her phone dinged, signaling she had a text message. She picked it up and looked at the screen. Grimmjow had texted her.

 

_\- Next day off?_

 

She wiggled the mouse for the computer which brought up the schedule. Orihime looked for her name then quickly text Grimmjow her reply. She was off on Thursday. Ding!

 

_\- Ever been to Tokyo? I feel like taking you on an adventure._

 

Orihime bit her lip. She'd been to Tokyo but it had been a long time ago. Her thumbs tapped out a reply. She wanted to know if it would be just them or was everyone going along?

 

_\- Just us, Princess. I'm going to get you something._

 

Another scowl came over her face but it quickly disappeared as Nel walked into the door. “Hey,” Orihime said automatically. Her job duty was to greet anyone who came into the place.

 

“Hey,” Nel said. The teal-haired woman walked past her and into the hallway. A few minutes later she came back through the curtain. She stopped and looked at her. “Orihime, I'm sorry. I'm just—This whole pregnancy thing is messing with my head. Couple that with Nnoitra's—I apologize for what I said to you. It wasn't fair of me.”

 

Orihime nodded but didn't say anything. She knew how pregnancy hormones messed with emotions and mental state. Looking down at her lap, she couldn't help wonder if the baby had survived, would she be in this mess? Would she have had sex with Grimmjow? She must have been lost in thought a long time because when she looked up Nel was gone.

 

The bell above the door tinkled again. She turned her head and saw a man with a mohawk walk through the opening. Her heart started beating hard. She knew who this was. She knew who just walked in. He stopped when he saw her. Orihime had to swallow before saying, “Hello, welcome to Candy Ink,” in a frightened voice.

 

He gave a visible sigh. “Hi, I'm here to talk to Nel,” he said quietly, tapping his fingers against the glass top of the counter. “You're Orihime, aren't you? You probably don't remember me but I just wanted to say sorry. My brother can be a dick sometimes and he ropes me into a lot of things.”

 

“Your brother?”

 

“Yeah, the guy that was with me that day when you were taking the university exam,” he replied. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

 

Oh. She shook her head and gave him a hint of a smile. It was a forced one. She couldn't think about Tsukishima or what he did to her. She had to keep her composure. “It's fine. Really. Just a minute and I'll see if Nel is in her office.”

 

Orihime left the waiting area and walked down to Nel's office. She was sitting at her desk. The redhead tapped lightly on the door. The teal hair head snapped up. “Yeah?” Nel asked.

 

“You've got a customer or a visitor? Not sure, but some guy is here to see you.”

 

She nodded and followed Orihime out to the waiting area.

 

* * *

 

Nel gave a deep sigh as she watched Bazz walk in. She laid her head on top of her desk and took several deep breaths. She didn't need this right now. She didn't need him here. She was too fragile right now to deal with his looks and the constant prying.

 

Her brain told her to cut ties with him; to tell him that he needed to find another tattoo artist to do what he wanted. Her heart was telling her that this man was giving her more attention than her own boyfriend. Grimmjow gave her the time of day when it suited him or it got him something.

 

Ever since he started the whole thing with Orihime that was what it felt like. Nel was second fiddle to the redhead.

 

She wasn't surprised to see Orihime tell her that someone was there for her. Nel lifted her chin and squared her shoulders because she needed to handle this. She couldn't be a queen if her crown was falling off her head because she was in turmoil.

 

As soon as she saw Bazz though, he gave her a boyish, slightly mischievous grin before ducking his head and bringing his hand up to the back of his neck. Her stomach gave a flutter. “Come on back, Bazz,” she said to him.

 

She walked past the other tattooing rooms and took him into the office. She closed the door behind him. Walking to her desk, she sat in her chair and gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

 

He practically sauntered over to the piece of furniture and casually draped himself over it. That's the only way she could describe his demeanor.

 

“So,” she said.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Um, I called to talk to you about something,” Nel stated. She was becoming nervous. “Why—Are—I...” she couldn't find the right words. Chin up, Queen, she thought to herself but the pep talk didn't work.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Truthfully?”

 

“Well, yeah.”

 

That's all it took, the jitters melted away and she pursed her lips. Nel got up and walked around to the front of the desk. She stood in front of him then leaned against the desk. She crossed her arms over her chest. His green eyes met her hazel ones. “No. Why do you seem to be everywhere I am? Are you following me or stalking me?”

 

Bazz was the one who lost the staring competition because he looked away from her. He stayed silent.

 

“Bazz? I need an answer.”

 

“Why? You don't need an answer and I'm not obligated to give you one,” he replied.

 

“Then this conversation is over and you need to find another tattoo artist,” Nel said. “If you can not tell me why I can pick you out of a crowd when I go somewhere, then I don't want anything to do with you.”

 

“You didn't have anything to do with me before. You're a professional businesswoman who doesn't mingle with her customers. Remember?” He reminded her.

 

Nel sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why were you at the mall? Why do I see you at the grocery store when I'm there. I've seen your car drive by my house. You're not subtle; the mohawk gives you away.”

 

“I live in that neighborhood. I've seen you, but, you know, I figured either you were friends with whoever lived there. Doesn't seem like a tattoo shop owner could afford to live in a fifty-five million yen house.”

 

“Okay, why were you at the mall? What about what my—the guy I was with said?” Nel asked, getting slightly annoyed by his previous answer. Is that how much Ulquiorra paid for the house? No, she wasn't able to afford that house on her own. She was getting sidetracked. “Did you attack my friend?”

 

“No, I asked her some questions when she was at the school my brother attends. The guy with the blue hair exaggerated, I think. I wouldn't attack a woman,” he said. "She was being rude and I grabbed her arm."

  
  
She noticed the amusement was lost on his face. Nel licked her lips. She had to be careful. “Why were you at the mall? Are you following me? Are you stalking me? Did you send me flowers?”

 

The mohawked man scoffed then chuckled. Nel watched him look away from her again. “Heh, I'm not stalking or following you. Yeah, I want to get to know you but you've made it clear you want nothing to do with me. I was at the mall because I was gonna pick something up but then the Smurf decided to come after me. I left.”

 

He stood and Nel noticed that he was taller than she was. He was almost as tall as Grimmjow. Bazz took a step closer to her. She saw the hunger in his eyes.

 

“Bazz, I have a boyfriend,” she said.

 

“The guy you punched in the nose? The Smurf?”

 

Nel nodded, “He's an ass but he's still my boyfriend.”

 

Her breath caught in her throat as he took another step towards her. She had to tilt her chin up to watch his face. His pale green eyes were stunningly beautiful this close up. When he spoke, his voice was low and alluring, “Why have you looked so unhappy since I met you?”

 

“Why do you want to get to know me?” She returned his question with one of her own. That grin was back and it made her heart pitter-patter quickly. Why did he care?

 

“I've answered your questions, are you seriously going to make me find another tattoo artist?”

 

Nel didn't want to think about the fact that he was standing so close to her that she could feel the heat coming off of him. She didn't want to think about the fact that he smelled really good. She didn't want to acknowledge that her face was becoming hot just from him staring at her. She didn't want to accept the fact that Bazz had shown more concern for her than Grimmjow had in the past three months.

 

“I think you—”

 

“You just think I should?”

 

“No,” she stuttered. She was incredibly agitated. This hadn't happened in a while. It had been years since a man was able to upset her calm demeanor this much by just standing by her. It probably didn't help that the hormones were wreaking havoc on her. Nel finally just sighed, unable to say anything else.

 

She was terribly confused by what was happening between them. So, she looked down at her feet unable to take his gaze anymore. She could feel him leaning towards her. His face was right by her ear. Her breathing sped up and it felt like her chest was going to burst because her heart was thumping now.

 

“I'm not asking for anything besides being a friend, Nel,” he whispered.

 

“Why?”

  
“Why what?”

 

“Why do you want to get to know me? Why do you want to be a friend of _mine_?”

 

He chuckled softly; she could feel the vibration of it. “I want to be more of a friend but you're the one who said she had a boyfriend. If you ever want to change things up though, give me a call.”

 

Bazz walked out of the office and Nel felt like she was going to collapse to the floor. She turned her head toward the security monitors and watched him leave the shop.

 

* * *

 

Orihime's mouth fell open when she saw where Grimmjow had taken her. Her face turned red and she turned to exit the shop. He grabbed her and smirked. “C'mon, this is gonna be fun,” he said, laughing.

 

She shook her head. “This will not be fun Grimmjow. This is awkward, is this what you really brought me here for?”

 

He nodded. “You've never used sex toys, have you?”

 

Her head shook again.

 

“Excellent,” Grimmjow smiled. “I guess I get to be the first at something.”

 

Orihime's shame turned to confusion. What did Grimmjow mean by that? He took off walking through the store and she followed closely behind him. He seemed pretty confident about what he was looking for.

  
  
“What about this one?” He said pointing to what looked like a bright pink penis.

 

“What is it?” she whispered.

 

“It's a dildo. You don't know what a dildo is?” Grimmjow looked at her in disbelief. “Did you not go to high school? I can remember guys and girls alike talking about shit like this.”

 

Orihime gave him a slight scowl. “I didn't hang around those people. I was a good girl.”

 

“You're a good girl who wants bad things,” the blue-haired man said and brushed his hand against her chest. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering. “Heh.”

 

“Stop, this isn't the place for that kind of stuff. There are people around!”

 

“This is a sex toy shop, Orihime. It's one of the biggest ones in Japan. There are seven fucking floors to get your rocks off,” Grimmjow said. “This is the perfect place for that kind of stuff. This is the superstore of sex!”

 

She felt her face become even more flushed. “Grimmjow, please. I'm not Nel. I don't know what this stuff is.”

 

“What the hell does that mean? I've never brought Nel to a place like this. I've bought her a vibrator or two but I don't think she's ever used them.”

 

Why would he bring her to a sex toy shop? What was a vibrator? Orihime had been happy when Grimmjow said he planned today all out. It would be a day she would never forget. This was like a date for them. The drive to Tokyo had been quiet with Grimmjow's hand on her thigh. She wore a somewhat short skirt at his request. He kept pushing the material up her leg every time he moved his fingers.

 

She eventually had to smack his hand away because he was getting awfully close to exposing her panties.

 

Once they were inside the city, she marveled at the tall buildings and the multitude of people. Utsunomiya had nothing on Tokyo. The lights, the characters, the wonder this place held. It was great until Grimmjow had parked the car and they took the subway. He'd rubbed himself against her which would have been fine but they were in public with people around them.

 

They got off at some station and right next door to it was a building that advertised, 'M's'. She happily walked into the place with him but now she was in this business with people who were looking her up and down; she didn't like it. She felt like some animal being appraised. Grimmjow took her into the lift and got off on the second floor.

 

Where the selection of penises on the first floor was lacking, the second floor had rows and rows of products designed to please those who liked them. For the second time that day, Orihime's mouth dropped open.

 

Grimmjow pulled her hand, “Come on! I know what I'm gonna get you.”

 

She turned red and trailed after him. Orihime watched his select two packages and held them up. “Which one looks more like me?” he asked.

 

Orihime's brow wrinkled at his question. “You're not a penis,” she hissed.

 

“Holy shit. Are you really that _clueless_ , Princess? Which one looks like my cock?”

 

“I don't know!”

 

He looked at both of them and then picked one, putting the other one back on the shelf. Grimmjow held the package out to her. “What's wrong?”

 

“I'm not touching that,” Orihime said as she cringed.

 

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, let's move onto the fun stuff.”

 

“Fun stuff?”

 

They walked around the second floor and Orihime was looking at the different “toys” that were displayed. The blue-haired man laughed and pulled something off the shelf. She tried to see what he had but he just shoved it under the other box.

  
  
“What was that?”

 

“Nothing, Princess. You'll see what it is later,” Grimmjow said with a huge grin. He was having a lot of fun in here, she thought with a sour expression on her face.

 

“Why does this one have a cord?” Orihime asked pointing to one of the vibrator models.

 

“So, you don't have to buy batteries,” Grimmjow said with a leer. “You want one?”

 

“Ugh.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him. From the corner of her eye, Orihime saw him grab something else off the shelf.

 

“You wanna go look at lingerie?” He asked.

 

“No!”

 

“What is your problem? This is supposed to be fun but you're being a prude about it,” Grimmjow snapped.

 

“Look, this might be fun for you but for me it's embarrassing. All I see are men and they're eyeing me like I'm a piece of meat,” Orihime corrected him.

 

Grimmjow sneered at her for a moment before he said, “Fine, we'll just leave and go back home.”

 

* * *

 

He wasn't happy. He set the three packages on the counter and waited for the man to ring them up. Orihime was being just as emotional as Nel for no fucking reason. If the redhead didn't like his gifts, he'd just give them to Nel.

 

As the person bagged his purchase into a plain black bag, Grimmjow got the evilest idea ever. He leaned slightly over the counter and lowered his voice. “Is there a bathroom around here?”

 

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow. “Uh, we don't allow that kind of activities in here. There's a love hotel down the street.”

 

“Oh no, man. Not like that. I just wanted to have the redhead that's with me slip on—well—” Grimmjow felt embarrassed as he picked up the second box he'd picked out. He didn't like telling some stranger what he wanted to do. “Is there one around?”

 

“Bottom floor.”

 

“Thanks.” Grimmjow turned around and grinned at Orihime. She raised an eyebrow at him. “C'mon Princess, I think I know how to salvage this day.”

 

They went to the bottom floor and asked for the bathroom. He handed the box with the remote-controlled pocket vibrator in it to the redhead. He instructed her where to put it. She was blushing furiously when she exited the room.

 

“Something wrong?” Grimmjow asked with his hands in his pocket. Gripped in his hand was the remote control, his thumb on the switch.

 

She shook her head.

 

“Do ya want to get something to eat?”

 

Again, Orihime shook her head.

 

The blue-haired man shrugged and they left the sex superstore. As they waited for the subway train to arrive, he used his thumbnail to flick the switch up just a notch. He watched as Orihime's knees buckled then he switched it off. By the time they got back to the car, the woman looked very frustrated.

 

“Give it to me. _Now_ ,” she demanded, holding her hand out.

 

Grimmjow shook his head. “Nope,” he said. His hand went into his pocket and he turned the remote to the first setting. “What's wrong Princess?”

 

She turned her head away from him and hid her face in her hair. “You know what's wrong,” she said.

 

“Get in the car, Orihime.”

 

He watched her scamper to the other side of the car to get in. Grimmjow started the car and soon they were on their way back to Nikko. He casually used the remote and bumped it up two notches this time.

  
  
“Uhnnnnnn,” she whimpered. “Grimm...”

 

The man didn't say a damn thing as he teased her, flicking the remote on and off. Once they reached the town where they lived, Orihime was panting in the passenger seat. Her legs were splayed open but her panties were covered by the skirt. While they drove through the city, Grimmjow reached over and undid a couple of the buttons holding Orihime's shirt together. He shoved his hand under the fabric and her bra, rolling her nipple between his fingers.

 

She cried out. He never wanted to get home faster than anything. It did not take long to get into the house; Grimmjow pulled her into their communal bedroom. The remote came out of his pocket. He held it up in front of Orihime.

 

“Get undressed Princess, leave the panties on. I'm gonna have fun with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mumford & Sons – Believe  
> KoRn – Shoots and Ladders  
> 30 Seconds To Mars – The Kill  
> Prince – Pussy Control  
> Nemesis – Munchies for Your Bass


	7. Snuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra has a nightmare and begins to unravel again. Grimmjow becomes a nightmare. Nel brings up the past and lets people go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> If you've heard Slipknot's Snuff and read the lyrics, that's where I got the name for the title of this chapter. This fic was almost named Snuff but the Partner said not to call it that because it had bad connotations. It really feels like I'm snuffing all the ships out, at least my OTPs. Meh.
> 
> But we see the effects of stress starting to affect Ulquiorra... It's where the PTSD comes into play. Also... I'mreallyreallysorry.

The gunshots. The glass breaking. The squeal of tires. The pain. The nauseating smell of burning rubber. Blood. Screaming. Orihime's tears on his face. The nothingness.

 

**POPCRACKCLAP.**

 

Ulquiorra sat up on the bed, his chest heaving. He inhaled deep gulps of air; it felt like he was suffocating. He turned his head, trying to figure out where he was at. He was home. He was at _their_ house. His eyes darted around, checking the shadows for signs of malice and ill intent. There were none.

 

It was the nightmare.

 

The dark-haired man might have seemed unaffected by the whole getting shot thing but the truth was, he had nightmares. It was the same thing every time. He was getting less and less sleep because of it. The doctors had given him sleeping medicine but he didn't like to use it. It made him feel like a zombie. They had also prescribed him anti-depressants but those had gone into the trash.

  
  
He didn't want to pump his body full of poisons because he couldn't handle what happened to him. He could deal with this.

 

The only reminders he had from that night were the three faint vertical scars from the surgery they had done to repair the damage. He didn't know what the exit wounds looked like. No one ever said anything about them. He tried not to look at them. They were either faint or grotesque scars that marred him.

 

He glanced at the three other people laying in the bed with him. Grimmjow and Orihime were sleeping together. Nel was lying next to Ulquiorra, she wasn't cuddling him like the other two but she was close to his body. He shook his head and swung his legs off the bed.

 

There was no way he was going back to sleep.

 

Picking up his pajama pants from the floor, Ulquiorra slid them on and then walked out of the bedroom. He stopped in the bathroom to relieve himself, then the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, before walking down to his personal room. It was an opaque dawn, it wasn't light enough to be called truly sunrise, so the room was still dark.

 

Ulquiorra switched his desk lamp on, put the water bottle down, and plopped on to his drawing stool. Grabbing a sheet of paper from the flat art storage cabinet Grimmjow made him, and a pencil from the cup that sat on top of it, he began to draw. He sketched out a flower surrounded by the shape of the gemstones that were in those hairpins of Orihime's. His fingers added facets and lace.

 

This was something he wasn't used to drawing. He wasn't used to doing feminine pieces. He didn't draw roses because they were overdone. Ulquiorra sat back and found he had drawn poppies to go with the rest of the design.

 

It didn't look half bad.

 

Still, he crumpled it up and this time drew the gemstones again on another piece of paper. His pencil laid down line after line of lead on the white surface. This time he had drawn raw crystals peppered with the six-pointed aqua blue flowers. Again, he balled up the paper and threw it in the direction of his trash can. For months now, he had been trying to draw something that would fit Orihime. He couldn't do it. Everything he drew, he hated.

 

His muse left him, probably because of the nightmare. Probably because Orihime seemed to want to be with Grimmjow more than him these days. Grimmjow hadn't pressured her to take a pregnancy test.

 

With a sigh, he pulled out one more piece of paper and set it on the desk. He then padded over to his dresser and picked up his phone. Somewhere in one of the drawers of the tansu, his earbuds were hiding. Ulquiorra quickly found them and plugged them in.

 

He sat back down and opened the music app, letting the program pick a song at random that was loaded onto the device. He heard the familiar riff of an acoustic guitar and the dark tenor voice singing to him. “How apt,” he muttered to himself.

 

“ _Bury all your secrets in my skin... Come away with innocence and leave me with my sins...”_

 

With another sigh, he picked up the pencil. The lyrics took over his senses. He sketched furiously for a moment or two. Ulquiorra was starting to get frustrated when his vision blurred several times. He wiped his eyes, surprised to find his fingers were wet. He looked down at the paper to see water droplets there. Even his face was wet.

 

Was he crying? What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he under that much stress? It was just a nightmare. Maybe he needed to let this out. Maybe he needed to deal with what had happened to him over the past two years. He took a ragged deep breath. He knew what was coming. He didn't want this. He didn't want to go through his once again.

 

Where were his mental walls? Where were the fail-safes? What triggered him to this? Why was his repression techniques not working?

 

Ulquiorra glanced at what he had drawn so far. Instead of tattoos, he began to sketch something totally different. It was him, Orihime and, walking between them, was a child with dark hair. He shook his head. Why had that song played? Why had he listened to it? Was he not enough for Orihime? Did she not love him any longer?

 

He threw the pencil on the desk and then picked up his phone. He turned off the light and went over to the futon. Ulquiorra made sure he buried his face into several pillows before he started sobbing as the last strain of the song bled into his eardrums.

 

“ _I only wish you weren't my friend... Then I could hurt you in the end...”_

 

He was going to have to address his questions soon because there was no multistory building for him to throw himself off of to stop this emotional pain.

 

* * *

 

Bazz watched Nel as she walked down the hall of Candy Ink. His hands were itching to touch her. She had on leggings that showed off her shapely legs and that round toned ass. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't let himself get carried away.

 

It seemed like every time he came into this place, her clothing got baggier and baggier. It made him raise eyebrows at it but it was probably because it was getting colder. The days were still cool but when the sun went down, it was a lot colder.

 

She opened the door and allowed him to go in first. He purposely brushed against her before he entered. Bazz heard the door shut and he started stripping. He took off his jacket and his t-shirt and carefully hung them on a hook Nel had on the wall. He then sat on the padded table that was in the middle of the room.

 

“You shouldn't wear those to work,” he said, eyeing her up and down.

 

Nel crossed her arms over her chest. “Wear what?”

 

“Those pants,” he replied. “You can't imagine how nice your legs look.”

 

He watched her blush and then scoff. “You're delusional, Bazz. What are you wanting today?”

 

His expression changed to a sly look, “Besides you, I want a skull and crossbones on my right arm.” Bazz noted her breath paused for just one moment, before resuming. He chuckled. “Did that bother you?”

 

Nel glared at him and rolled her eyes. “I told you, I have a boyfriend.”

 

“Who you seem very unhappy with,” he mentioned.

 

“You don't know that,” she snapped. “You don't know anything about me.”

 

Bazz shrugged, not bothering to reveal he knew a lot more than he let on. “Tell you what... You've got creative control of this tattoo but it has to be a skull and crossbones. I want you to answer questions I ask.”

 

“Wow, what an offer. I have to bare my soul for doing any kind of skull I want to do,” Nel said in a sarcastic tone. “I could put a rainbow skull on you and you'd have to live with it.”

 

“You wouldn't.”

 

“Hmph,” she huffed. Bazz watched her with a small smile on his face as she walked over to a table with various art supplies on it. “You know we have a tattoo artist that specializes in manly stuff.”

 

“That's sexist.”

 

“I meant that he does a really good job with portraits and monotone color tattoos,” she explained before grabbing a red marker from the cup. She took the cap off and then motioned for him to turn to the side he wanted it on.

 

“I like how you work,” Bazz watched as her hand grabbed his arm and she started drawing on it. He was pretty impressed when she was done. A sugar skull with roses for eyes and a bullet hole in the middle of its head. The crossbones looked to be engraved.

 

He couldn't help but tease her. “You're gonna tattoo flowers on my manly body?”

 

Her eyes swept up and down him. Bazz watched as she blushed. “You said I had creative control.”

 

“So I did. Does that mean you'll answer my questions?”

 

She nodded and proceeded to set up her workspace. His pale green eyes followed her as she walked around. The woman was efficient. She seemed to have a method to the madness when it came to her job.

 

“Get up,” she said.

 

He did as she asked, once again, brushing against her as he moved. He heard the tiniest gasp from her lips. Then he observed as she turned that tattooing table into some kind of freaky looking chair. He raised his eyebrows, impressed.

 

“It's a convertible table. I bought it from a massage therapist who was going into something else. She gave me a good deal on it,” Nel said; she must have seen his expression. “Sit with your chest facing the back of it.”

 

He did as she instructed. The pain was the same as the other arm but Nel seemed different as she worked on him this time. After she was done outlining the skull and the crossbones, there was a knock at the door. Whoever was on the other side didn't wait for a reply because it opened; there was a moment of pause and then hell broke loose.

 

He struggled as he was ripped from the chair and slammed against the wall. He found himself with an arm across his throat and staring at icy blue eyes filled with anger. “So, you're the fucker. I got your name now, _Bazz_. You think you're gonna get away with touching my woman?”

 

“ _GRIMM_! You can't just come in here and assault my clients!” Nel shouted. “Stop! Grimmjow!”

 

The mohawked man watched as a fist came up. “I'm assuming you mean, Nel, right? Is she your woman? I've never touched her,” Bazz countered. “She has to touch me to give me a tattoo.”

 

“I didn't mean her, you asshole. I meant the redhead you and that scrawny asshole messed with a couple months ago.”

 

“ _Grimmjow._ ”

 

Bazz flicked his gaze to the teal-haired woman. She looked absolutely enraged. “I suggest if you like your freedom, you release me. Otherwise, I will notify the police and press charges.”

 

The snarl on the other's face was filled with hatred and the blue-haired man somehow slammed Bazz against the wall again. The back of his head hit the surface with a dull crack. The man with the red hair grunted in pain, closing his eyes. He felt the pressure leave his throat. Metal clanked to the floor. The door slammed and Nel was yelling at someone.

 

When he opened his eyes, the metal stand that Nel used to hold the machines and ink cups was knocked over. Ink ran all over the floor, splattering the tables and the wall. The chair he had been sitting in was overturned. It looked like their session would be cut short today.

 

Nel came back in and she looked worried. She must not have noticed the mess.“I'm so sorry, Bazz. Please don't press charges on him or sue us. I apologize for his behavior. He's a fucking numb skull sometimes.”

 

Bazz held up a hand. He didn't want to hear her excuses for the man. He already knew all about him. It happened when you spied on someone. “That's your boyfriend?” He asked having the sense to sound like he didn't believe it. "If you're his girlfriend why is he talking about a redhead?"

 

The woman with teal hair nodded. “Yeah, that's Grimmjow.”

 

She purposely avoided his other question. However, she looked upset enough that he wasn't going to call her out on it today.

 

“It doesn't look like you're going to be finishing my tattoo today,” he commented. Bazz's mouth formed a thin line. He was trying to figure out why he felt so much anger toward the man with the bright blue hair. It wasn't because the man had attacked him. Bazz was rarely intimidated by people so Grimmjow didn't bother him. The only man that could intimidate him consistently was his own father. 

  
It had to do with the woman. He knew better than to take interest in a female at the level that Tsukishima did. Fuck them and leave them, that was his mentality. It was why he never had a long-term girlfriend. He was too scared just in case his father got interested. Tsukishima had that happen. The man hadn't been the same since Tier told him to basically fuck off.

 

“I can, I just—” Nel turned around and stopped talking. Her shoulders slumped and her hands ran through her hair. “You're right.”

 

Nel picked up the spray bottle and got a couple of paper towels before retrieving a new pair of gloves. She put them on and then motioned for Bazz to turn the fresh ink toward her. “Let me see it,” she said.

 

Bazz winced when the cold spray hit his arm. Nel blotted, sprayed again and then wiped it down. “At least the outline is done. Your arm will be red from the marker for a couple of days. Do you want me to go over aftercare instructions?”

 

His mohawk swung from side to side. “Do you want to go get a drink with me? You look like you could use one.”

 

“I can't. I have to get this cleaned up and break down stuff so it can get sanitized. Then I've got to call my other clients today and reschedule. Can I get a raincheck for a coffee?”

 

“Coffee?” Bazz grinned. “I can wait for you.”

 

Nel blushed, “Yeah, I can't have alcohol. I don't want to keep you from your day. I can give you my number or you can give me yours. I'll let you know when I'm available.”

 

“You'll never text me. Besides, you have my number.”

 

“You don't know that. I could—Oh, yeah.”

 

Bazz took a step closer to her. “Nel, you said you don't fraternize with your clients. If I don't get your number, you'll never call.”

 

He could see Nel's eyes were focused on his naked chest. He tentatively reached out and used a finger to tilt her chin up. She swallowed when their eyes met. He could see she was apprehensive. “Just remember what I said in your office.”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was pissed off. He was pacing up and down the entrance hall, waiting for Nel to get home. He'd acted like an ass inside Candy Ink but Ulquiorra had been at the counter when he walked in. The dark-haired man looked horrible like he'd not been getting much sleep.

 

“Where's Nel?” he asked.

 

“She's with a customer.”

 

“Who is it?”

 

“A guy named Bazz Black. He has a mohawk— _HEY! GRIMMJOW!_ ”

 

He stalked through the black curtain and hallway, not caring if Ulquiorra was yelling at him, to the room beyond Nel's office where she tattooed clients. He knocked once and then opened the door. Nel's head jerked up and her eyes widened when she saw him.

 

Grimmjow knew that fake-ass-red mohawk anywhere. He stomped into the room then pulled the guy off the chair. The blue-haired man was going to hit him. He was going to beat the other man for daring to touch Orihime.

 

Then he wanted to be a little bitch and threaten Grimmjow with calling the cops. He'd been so pissed off he kicked the metal stand and pushed the chair over. Nel was yelling at him as he left the building. His drive home had been anger filled.

 

How could Nel tattoo him when he told her that the bastard attacked Orihime? It felt like a fucking betrayal.

 

When she arrived home, his anger lessened a little but not much. He watched as she put her shoes in the closet and then walked towards her private room. Nope, Grimmjow wasn't gonna let _this bitch_ shut him out.

 

“Nel, don't walk away from me. You're gonna listen!” Grimmjow fumed. “Why are you taking business from someone who attacked Orihime?”

 

“Because I need the fucking money, Grimm. I have to keep clients coming in. I need the money,” Nel said as she stopped moving. She turned around and looked at him. “You cost me money today. You could have cost me a client that actually can afford to tattoo himself on a regular basis instead of special occasions.”

 

“Why the hell would you need money?” He asked. If this was all about money, Grimmjow would find some extra work; do more custom pieces of furniture; extra band gigs.

 

Nel sighed and shook her head. “You don't get it, do you? It takes a lot of money to run my business. I have to have supplies for tattooing and the office portion. I have to pay an accountant. I have to pay my employees, except Pesche because he knows how this whole thing works from being with Don for so long. I have to pay for the building, maintenance, repairs, electricity, water, heat. I have to pay for this baby, Grimmjow.”

 

He scoffed. “You don't need that dickbag's money that bad. I don't ever want to see him in Candy Ink again. I don't want to see him around you again.”

 

“Unfortunately, you don't get to dictate that anymore, Grimmjow. You don't get to tell me anything like that. Ever since you slept with Orihime and didn't inform me, you don't get to tell me _shit_. All that trust we had built over the years is gone,” Nel countered. “You sleep next to her. You took her to Tokyo. When the fuck have you ever taken me anywhere for a day? You've never have taken me there but she's special enough to do that for? It's all double standards around here with you and your bullshit. You get to have your cake and eat it too. Sure, Nel, I can have another woman but the moment you want another man, sorry, can't happen. I've had it with everything.”

 

Grimmjow's expression was irate and Nel just kept on talking like she didn't see it. His fist clenched. He gritted his teeth.

 

“You care about her more than you do for me, Grimm. Just admit it. Stop lying to yourself. You're defending Orihime just because some guys asked her questions. You never once defended me from Nnoitra after you saw what he was doing to me.” Nel's voice was emotional. She pressed her mouth into a thin line and Grimmjow could see tears in her eyes. “You've broken the rules. How long has it been since we've had sex?”

 

He had nothing to argue that point because she was right about the thing with his dead friend. He'd been a spectator concerning that debacle. Something in his chest twisted and he looked down at the floor. Was Nel trying to tell him that it was over between them? Was she trying to say she didn't want to be with him anymore?

 

He took a deep breath, all the fight and anger drained out of him. “You're carrying my child and you want to end this?”

 

“I don't even know if it's yours,” she replied. “I think it might be for the best though. Just in case.”

 

“Just in case?” he asked, his voice loud as he yelled the question. “Just in case of what? That it's Ulquiorra's?”

 

“Grimmjow, you started this shit. You started this entire fucking situation! Had you either kept your hands off her or told me, there would be no problem!” Nel's cheeks were now wet with tears. She didn't bother to wipe them away. “Just fucking admit you love her, that you don't want me anymore! Stop lying to me. Stop lying to yourself!”

 

“So you want to end this? You want to end four years?” he asked.

 

“I'm surprised you remember that it's been four years since we didn't even celebrate our anniversary this year,” she pointed out.

 

“Tch.”

 

Nel looked down at the floor for a long moment before she returned her gaze to Grimmjow. He could see she was about to lay everything out. “Yeah, we're done. I'm not happy with you anymore.”

 

“Nel, don't do this. We can fix this,” Grimmjow said. “I'm not gonna let you walk away from me.”

 

“If you wanted to fix this, you wouldn't have kept her a secret,” she commented. Nel turned and walked down the hall. Before she left his eyesight, she turned and looked at him. Her expression was downtrodden. “You know, I always thought we would get married, buy a house, and maybe have a kid. We'd grow old and carry on like we did that first year we were together, you know, so in love with each other. You treated me like you worshiped me. Like you'd climb a mountain or swim an ocean to be near me.”

 

“I would still do that, Nel.”

 

She shook her head. “No, you wouldn't. You won't even go to a doctor's appointment with me.”

 

Nel disappeared and Grimmjow swallowed the lump in his throat. He had truly fucked his life up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slipknot – Snuff  
> Go Radio – I Wont Lie  
> Volumes – Across the Bed  
> Keira Knightly - Lost Stars  
> Lauren Aquilina – Wonder  
> Twenty-One Pilots - Before You Start Your Day  
> Fleurie - Hurts Like Hell  
> Halsey - Eyes Closed (Stripped)  
> Great Big World - Say Something  
> NF - Let You Down  
> In This Moment – Lost At Sea (Acoustic)  
> 30 Seconds to Mars – City of Angels (Acoustic)  
> James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover


	8. I'm On A New Level

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sending that text wasn't easy because Nel finds herself on a “date”. Bazz likes grinning like an idiot. Orihime gets some bad news. Grimmjow thinks bitches be trippin'. Ulquiorra shows his cards and why he has the upper hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> The old character hat came out again! You know the one where I put a bunch of character names in and pull them out? Thus we have other organizations. Seems legit.

Nel sat in a coffee shop near downtown Nikko. Three days after she and Grimmjow broke up, she texted Bazz. It had been two in the morning when she sent the message. She hadn't expected a reply but a couple minutes later, he sent one back.

 

He wanted to know if he could call. Since Nel was in her own room and had been since the break-up, she confirmed that he could. The phone rang quietly.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey,” Bazz said.

 

“I woke you up, didn't I?” Nel asked, sound a tad bit guilty. “I'm sorry. I just thought if I texted you now, you wouldn't see it until the morning.”

 

That damn chuckle came through the phone. “It's okay. I was almost asleep,” he replied. He sounded like he was sleepy. “I'm surprised you texted me.”

 

“I told you I would.”

 

“I can say that I honestly didn't believe you,” he admitted. “What are you up to if you're still awake?”

 

“Nothing, laying in my new bed,” Nel answered.

 

She had told Ulquiorra what was going on between her and Grimmjow. He sighed and nodded; he appeared to look defeated. The dark-haired man went out and bought her a thick futon and a platform bed, along with a pregnancy pillow thing as a surprise. She had freaked out because of how much it had probably cost. He shook his head when she tried to pay him back.

 

He had kissed her and invited her to join him in his room any time she wanted. He also had her dresser moved to her room which she was grateful. Nel knew Grimmjow had been pissed about that. He glared at Nel anytime he saw her. The big communal bedroom where they were all supposed to be a big, fucking, happy family, was now Orihime and Grimmjow's bedroom.

 

Ulquiorra had been sleeping in his own room for weeks now though but Grimmjow hadn't been mad about that. He was practically gloating every time he made Orihime scream or cry out. Grimmjow was rubbing it into their faces that he had won.

 

“New bed, eh?” he inquired. “Can I come over and help break it in?”

 

Nel snorted. “No, it's too late right now.”

 

“Or too early, depending on how you look at it,” Bazz laughed. “You didn't say that I couldn't though.”

 

“Did you miss the no?”

 

“You said _no_ , it's too late.”

 

“Touche, Bazz. Touche,” Nel giggled.

 

“You said touch me wrong.”

 

“What?”

 

He laughed again. “I'm joking.”

 

They lay there in silence for a few moments. Nel could faintly hear him breathing. Her hand wandered down to touch the small bump that was forming on her torso. She had to swallow because she didn't know how to ask the next question. She felt like she would be leading Bazz on if she asked him out because of the whole pregnancy thing. She still hadn't said anything to him about it. 

  
Why would she? He was just a friend. 

 

Pregnant. The baby. The father. Nel gave a sigh. She couldn't get rid of it. It was illegal in Japan to get an abortion. She didn't like the idea of adoption. She didn't even want to think about it right now and how it was going to impact her future.

 

"Do you want to get coffee with me sometime soon?” Nel asked, just to distract herself.

 

“Do you even have to ask? You could have texted me a place to meet with a time and I would be there,” he answered.

 

“I don't know your schedule,” she said quietly. “I'm sure you know mine. I see you about every two weeks.”

 

“Heh, is that a problem?”

 

Nel gave a sigh. It had been a problem to Grimmjow. She found her eyes tearing up and she quickly took the phone away from her face to wipe them away. “No.”

 

“Bullshit, Nel.” He was calling her out again. How did he know? “Something is wrong. I don't think you texted me because you wanted to just hang out.”

 

“It's nothing,” she murmured. Nel decided to change topics. “So, do you know of any good places to get coffee? There's a place that's by my old apartment that has really good beans and I need to buy some more anyway.”

 

“You buy coffee beans and grind it?”

 

“Well, the place does it for me,” she replied. “Its really good coffee though.”

 

Bazz was quiet for a moment and Nel thought he had fallen asleep. “I want to come over and pick you up,” he finally whispered. His voice was low, deep and husky.

 

Nel felt the jolt of desire go through her and blushed at his words. Bazz was being silly. She was being silly, talking to a guy like she was still in high school and involved in an illicit romance. “Why?” she murmured.

 

“I gotta have an excuse to see you?”

 

“At two in the morning, yes.”

 

“If I told you, you would tell me you have a boyfriend,” he said.

 

She sighed again. “Yeah, I probably would,” she stated, trying to keep her voice from sounding bitter.

 

“Nel?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Why do you sound unhappy?”

 

Nel never answered him. She had hung up. The next morning, she woke up to a text message from Bazz, telling her where to meet him and what time. Nel had to catch a bus to the place. Grimmjow wouldn't let her use his car. They fought about it that morning.

 

Ulquiorra had witnessed the fight as he sat at the dining room table eating cereal. He tried talking to her about it but she blew him off. She didn't want or need any of his gifts. She'd get Don to find her a car. The man knew where to find anything.

 

She had other problems to worry about though. Nel was sure that Orihime knew that she had broken up with Grimmjow. She hadn't been in Candy Ink since then. As much as she wanted to fire the young woman, she knew that the backlash would be catastrophic. Nel didn't want to see the redhead though.

 

The thoughts about the thing growing inside of her came back. Nel wasn't sure of what to think about it. Somedays, she thought of the fetus as a parasite, something feeding off of her body, energy, and sanity. Other days... Well, she could forget about it then. Lost in thought, Nel didn't notice that Bazz had entered the shop. She was staring out the window with her chin in the palm of her hand. She jumped when he sat in the chair across from her. “Oh!”

 

Bazz grinned at her. “That sounds like a less scandalous form of Eureka,” he said.

 

His statement made her blush and hide her face behind her teal hair. “I was distracted,” she managed to say to him.

 

“I could tell; I watched you from my car for five minutes,” he said.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“You're interesting.”

 

Nel furrowed her eyebrows at that. “Trust me, I'm not. I'm just me.” She glanced at Bazz and then took a lock of her hair and started playing with it. “I'm surprised you came.”

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

She shrugged. “I didn't think you were serious.” Which was the truth, she didn't think he was actually serious about the whole wanting her. It felt like he was toying with her. Nel knew when she lost interest in someone, the first thing to go was her head. It'd happened with Nnoitra. It'd happened with Grimmjow, she'd just stopped caring. She'd never fallen out of love with Grimmjow though and it weighed heavily on her mind.

 

He grabbed her wrist and she turned her gaze to him. His face said he was dead serious. “Did you want some coffee? Maybe a latte? Hot chocolate?”

 

Nel smiled and nodded. “I can pay—”

 

“No, you won't. I always pay on first dates,” Bazz said and pulled her up. Nel was speechless as they walked to the counter. 

 

This was a date? This wasn't a date. This couldn't be a date... Right?

 

* * *

 

Bazz had a stupid grin on his face as he dropped the teal-haired woman off at the tattoo shop. He could feel how stupid it was because he was practically smiling from ear to ear. He didn't know why he had this sense of elation. It was probably from all the cups of coffee he had consumed or the fact that he had spent several hours in the company of Nel.

 

They had talked about a lot of stuff. He'd found out things about her that Tsukishima's recon on the four people didn't include. Bazz and Nel had a lot in common.

 

“So what do you do in your free time?” he casually asked as he took a drink from the tall paper cup in front of him. He liked his coffee with lots of cream and sugar. She had ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream. Bazz studied her carefully as she licked whipped cream from the lid she had taken off her own cup.

 

He had to swallow to keep from kissing her right there. Just watching her do mundane stuff was driving him crazy.

 

She took another lick before answering him. “I watch a lot of movies. I read mangas. Sometimes, I draw, I'm not very good at it but I try. I like doing yoga.”

 

“You're a tattoo artist and you're not good at drawing?”

 

“Most people bring me designs that are scanned into our stencil machine. Or they've seen something on the internet that they want to be tattooed onto their bodies. I like to print them out and trace them by hand. Renji and Rukia use that waste of space the most.”

 

He laughed. “How many years have you been doing that?”

 

“I started my apprenticeship at sixteen years old. My dad, Don, taught me. He's really my stepfather but he's the only one I remember,” Nel replied.

 

“How old are you now?”

 

“Twenty three.”

 

“You're young.”

 

“How old are you then?” Nel asked.

 

“Twenty-five.”

 

“You say I'm young? You are practically a kid yourself,” she smiled.

 

Bazz felt this warm feeling in his chest every time she did that. His outside appearance showed he was comfortable in any situation. Inside his head, he was in conflict. He had to talk to Tsukishima. There was no way he could do anything to harm her.

 

“What kind of movies do you like?”

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” she held up a hand. “What do you do in your free time?”

 

He gave a sly grin. “I like playing video games. I go to the gym. Uh, I like going shopping for things I don't need. I like watching movies and listening to music.”

 

“What kind of music?”

 

“Anything. Music is a universal language,” he answered. “It can convey a lot of things from wants to emotional states.”

 

“I like watching any kind of genre of movies. Not adult ones though. I don't watch that kind of stuff,” Nel said, turning a bright pink. “I like anime.”

 

He couldn't contain his laughter. She scowled at him and folded her arms over her chest.

 

It had been like that the entire time he sat in that coffee shop. He found out what she liked to eat and her favorite mangas. She revealed to him that her color of hair was a special blend of three different colors of hair dye that she put on her head every other month. Nel even told him she was a natural blonde.

 

He had told her his hair was light brown but he liked the red. It was his favorite color. Nel told him that she figured that out because of his car.

 

Bazz watched her walk into Candy Ink Tattoos and then he pulled out his phone. His thumb pressed Tsukishima's contact number and he put the phone to his ear as he pulled away from the building. His brother didn't answer. The fucker probably looked at his fancy watch and ignored the call. He threw the device onto the seat beside him. Bazz had nothing to do today if Tsukishima wasn't gonna answer the phone. He could drive down to Tokyo and see if his childhood friend, Jugo, was doing anything today.

 

Like Bazz, Jugo was the child of a Yakuza warlord. That's how he always thought of his father. His dad won wars with others, battling over territories with money and blood. Yhwach, Jugo's father, destroyed people and families. Jugo got everyone out of trouble though. He was a lawyer.

 

Yhwach's organization was smaller than Aizen's. Then there was Kariya's group who were pretty much piss ants who thought they were big time criminals that only took on small jobs.

 

That would be a long ass drive just to see a friend though. He could always do some spying.

 

* * *

 

Orihime was sitting at the front counter reading some text for one of her classes when Nel walked in. She glanced up at the teal-haired woman and then back down at the book. Grimmjow had told her the news two days ago. He and Nel were no more; he was solely Orihime's now. She didn't know what to say to that. Changes happened in the big bedroom. Nel's dresser was moved, pillows were missing, Nel's blanket was gone.

 

Ulquiorra didn't even sleep in there anymore. He had looked more despondent over the past couple of days.

 

She didn't know how comfortable she was with the situation but to see Nel's practically glowing face form to one of glaring displeasure, didn't sit well with her. She heard her boss walk past her and loudly proclaim that they were having a meeting in ten minutes. Everyone was to come to her office.

 

The redhead waited until the last minute to enter the cramped office. Pesche, Rukia, Renji, Ulquiorra, and Nel were all in there.

 

That glowing smile was back on Nel's face but it didn't reach her eyes. “There's the Doll. C'mon on in. First order of business is, things are going to change around here. I've been too lax on all of you. I need professionalism in this place. It is a business. There will be no more drama or fighting inside of Candy Ink. The first person who starts a fight or you're having a lover's quarrel or whatever. I don't want to hear it and you will be gone.”

 

“I don't want to seem like a stick in the mud but does that include you?” Pesche asked. The blond man had a smile on his face which quickly faded as he saw Nel wasn't amused. Orihime became worried. This wasn't like Nel at all. She usually responded to Pesche's remarks with good humor.

 

“Second order of business, I'm pregnant. I'm about seventeen weeks along. Third, I'm no longer with Grimmjow. I don't want him in here. If he comes in, escort him out. Fourth, you—” Nel pointed right at Orihime. The young woman swallowed the fear that suddenly rose up because of the teal-haired woman's tone of voice. “I want you fucking gone. I want you out of here. You're fired. You've got ten minutes to get your stuff and leave.”

 

Five mouths dropped open at that speech and Orihime turned bright red. What was Nel doing? What was she saying? Why? What had she done to Nel? It wasn't her fault!

 

“That concludes the meeting, you're all free to return to whatever you were doing,” Nel said with a smile on her face. Three of the people avoided Orihime's gaze. Ulquiorra approached Nel and started talking to her in hushed whispers.

 

Her eyes filled with tears and they felt hot as they fell from her eyes. What was she supposed to do now?

 

“You can't do this Nel,” she finally stated. Orihime was hurt and she was angry. This wasn't fair to her. She was only doing this because of Grimmjow.

 

Nel's head popped around the dark-haired man's form. “I can't? I believe I just did.”

 

“Nel,” Ulquiorra cautioned.

 

“No, I'm tired of catering to _your_ whore—wait, that's right, she's no longer yours, is she? I'm not catering to _Grimmjow's_ whore. Do you think I'm leaving that house? Nope, I'm on all those forms we signed,” she retorted. “The only person who is not is Inoue.”

 

“I didn't do anything to you!”

 

“You fucked my boyfriend!”

 

“Had you not been a heartless bitch about the news of Ulquiorra dying, he wouldn't have come to me!”

 

“Had you just kept your legs closed none of this would happen!”

 

“ _STOP,_ ” Ulquiorra shouted.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow looked at his phone as it rang. He was in at his workshop, sanding down a bedside table. Why would Orihime be calling him?

 

He put down the sanding block and picked up the device. “Hello?”

 

All he heard was sobs, “Can—can—can—”

 

There was some shuffling and then suddenly the voice changed. “Can you come pick up Orihime?”

 

Ulquiorra?

 

“Yeah, I can. What's wrong?”

 

“I will inform you of the situation once you get here. It's not something to discuss on the phone,” he answered.

 

A pit of unease spread in his stomach. What had the redhead so upset? He quickly dialed Nel's number but it went straight to voicemail. He gritted his teeth. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was somehow the cause of this.

 

He grabbed his hoodie and was out the door, remembering to lock it. Grimmjow walked to his car and soon was on his way to Candy Ink. She was waiting outside with Ulquiorra. Her face was red and puffy.

 

In an instant, he was out of the car. “What happened? Did someone attack her? Did she get hurt? What the hell is going on, man?”

 

“N-Ne-Nelfi-fi-fi-edme-ee-ee,” Orihime wailed.

 

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Ulquiorra. Grimmjow didn't understand what she had said. “Princess, you've got to calm down. What happened?”

 

“Nel fired her in front of everyone else,” Ulquiorra replied in a flat tone.

 

“She did what? What the hell?”

 

Grimmjow stood up and walked over to the door of the building, yanking it open. He walked in to see Nel sitting at the front counter, typing something on the computer that was sitting there. “What the hell, Nelliel?” he growled.

 

“I don't believe you're welcomed here,” she said, not bothering to look at him. “Get out.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Her eyes narrowed when she finally did look at him. It was gonna be like that, he thought with a grim expression. “I said, you. Are not. Welcomed. Here.” Nel said it slow enough that she thought either he couldn't hear or he was stupid.

 

“Nel, you can't do this. You broke it off with me,” Grimmjow said. He was desperate for this woman to see reason. “You can't take out your anger on her because of me.”

 

“I'm not taking out my anger on her. I don't like her. I don't want to be around her. It is my right as a human to choose who I want to be around. I don't want to be miserable, so I don't want to be around her,” Nel explained.

 

“You are being a petty bitch.”

 

She shook her head. “I'm not letting anyone walk all over me. That's why you have an issue with this. Did you honestly expect me not to retaliate? I told you when I found out that I would, Grimm. I never stated when I would do it. Now, you are not welcomed here, leave.”

 

* * *

 

When Ulquiorra unlocked the entrance door that night after working all day, he knew the atmosphere was tense. The house was silent though. He walked down the hall to his own room to drop off his book bag and then he went to the kitchen.

 

He walked past Orihime's room. The paper screen door was open a tiny bit but no one was in there. He sighed, deciding to find people before eating anything. He went down to the entertaining room. No one was in there.

 

They had to be in the bedroom. He walked a few steps to the door of the bedroom and knocked on the door. No one answered so, Ulquiorra slid the screen open a few inches. Orihime was asleep. Grimmjow was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor.

 

“What?” the blue-haired man asked in an angry voice, not glancing up.

 

“I was just checking who was home; don't jump down my throat,” Ulquiorra stated. He slid the door shut and went to the kitchen. He pulled out one of his bento boxes and a pair of chopsticks. He took both items to the dining table. After turning the light on he sat down.

 

Grimmjow came out of the bedroom as Ulquiorra was taking the lid off of his meal. “Can I talk to you?” the tall man asked.

 

“I guess,” he replied as he set the chopsticks in his fingers. Ulquiorra looked down at what he was about to eat. He was hungry but he had a feeling he wasn't going to eat the vegetables, hard boiled egg, and noodles because this conversation was going to rob him of his appetite.

 

“How much are the payments for this place?”

 

He had some noodles about to go into his mouth when he put the pieces of wood down. “Why?”

 

“I'm curious. I could take over the payments and maybe you and Nel could move out, find your own place,” Grimmjow said, not looking at Ulquiorra.

 

“It's not gonna happen. I've paid a third of the total cost of this house and unless you can come up with nineteen million yen, then you, Nel, and Orihime will be leaving,” Ulquiorra answered.

 

“What?”

 

“When we signed the papers, I paid one-third of the total cost of this house,” he said.

 

“Why?”

 

Ulquiorra pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to deal with this right now. “Grimmjow, the point is, no one is leaving this house unless they want to. I did it because I could. I did it because I wanted to. I thought if I could provide a home for Orihime, she would take me back.”

 

Grimmjow sat there in silence. Ulquiorra was fighting with his emotions. He wished he had never met the redheaded woman. He replaced the lid on the container and stood up, slamming the chair back. He picked up his food and started walking to the kitchen area. He stopped and looked back at the blue-haired man.

 

“Since she listens to you, tell Orihime to take a damn pregnancy test,” he stated. With that, he threw the container in the trash and went to his room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smashing Pumpkins – Bodies  
> Hasley – Gasoline  
> Sleeping with Sirens – Iris  
> Becky Hanson – I Started A Joke  
> AFI – Beautiful Thieves  
> Five Finger Death Punch - I Apologize  
> DMX – X Gonna' Give It To Ya  
> Marilyn Manson – KILL4ME  
> Red Hot Chili Peppers – Shallow Be Thy Name  
> Halestorm – Here's To Us


	9. Hump De Bump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel takes some time to pamper herself but gets interrupted. Tsukishima makes Bazz watch the new cameras that were installed for the night and he witnesses something that he probably shouldn't have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> SEX IN THIS CHAPTER! Bow chica bow wow. Including, oral sex, bathtub!sex, and voyeurism. Tsukishima is an evil bastard. C'mon, if you've read my fics then this shouldn't be a problem.
> 
> Also, I've been drawing fan art to keep my mind off things. I have a spoiler for chapter 12 and once it's done, I'll post it on my Tumblr. I'm sorry for not posting an update this weekend, The Partner and I had to attend a funeral for his Grandma and it just didn't seem right to be posting smut.

Two weeks passed, Nel got texts from Bazz every day. It was silly things like jokes and little inane thoughts he had. They made her smile. It was a welcome distraction from the tension in the house. The hostile work environment was gone.

 

The teal-haired woman had hired Kenpachi's daughter, Yachiru, to work the front part of Candy Ink. She offered the pink-haired woman the same deal that she had gave Orihime since she was in her final year of high school. Work was anywhere from two to fours hours a day and only on days where it wouldn't interfere with her studies.

 

Kenpachi told her that Yachiru had her sights set on the University of Tokyo when spring came around. Those were lofty aspirations; more than Nel had at her age. The only thing Nel was worried about was staying away from Nnoitra and working on honing her tattooing skills.

 

It was something to get used to though, seeing baby pink hair instead of the coppery-red. The girl was a comedian though and the atmosphere was kept light inside the shop. She was constantly causing shenanigans with Rukia, Renji, and Pesche. It was entertaining, sometimes. Ulquiorra had put his foot down with the teen. That hadn't surprised Nel given his track record with high school girls. She had winced when she the idea rolled through her head. It was a cruel thought.

 

Now, she was at home and contemplating on soaking on the huge tub in the second bathroom. She remembered when Grimmjow had shown her and Ulquiorra the tub. Nel wanted it because she saw huge bathtubs all the time on those interior design shows she liked to watch. That had been this past summer.

 

Ulquiorra had ordered the tub, not saying a word about the price. Grimmjow had been giddy when it arrived.

 

She knew that she had time for some pampering because Grimmjow and Orihime were out. She had overheard the blue-haired man tell the redhead he was taking her out for dinner and something else.

 

Nel had acted uninterested. Spite was eating away at her though. She was almost tempted to ask Ulquiorra to help her move her television and the DVDs into her bedroom. All the jobless young woman had been doing since she had gotten fired was watch the thing all day.

 

Grimmjow let her do it too.

 

With a sigh, she stripped naked and started the water to fill the tub. Nel was so glad that Ulquiorra updated the plumbing also. She didn't have to turn on water heaters or mess with any kind of bullshit like that. He'd gotten something called a tankless water heater which proved to be incredibly handy.

 

Nel poured her favorite bubble bath into the tub which immediately made the room smell like vanilla blossoms. It was floral but still had a light vanilla scent to it. The smell used to drive Grimmjow crazy. Closing her eyes, Nel had to bite back the pain that lanced through her heart.

 

He'd been right. She had broken it off between them. A tear slid out of her eye and Nel decided she couldn't think about this right now. She couldn't handle it. It wasn't productive to pampering herself. Nel left the room the bathtub was in and walked out to where the shower and sink were. She looked at herself in the huge mirror over the basin.

 

She was a fucking mess.

 

Her hair needed to be dyed. She thought at times she was getting wrinkles because of how much frowning she'd done in the past two years. She had shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep and heartache, who knew which one.

 

She turned to the side and looked at her profile. Nel's already busty chest was slowly expanding. She was so used to having a flat stomach so the tiny little pouch that was starting to show was another thing made her face unhappy. It all seemed too surreal, like something out of a bad dream. This whole pregnancy thing. It was a fucking bother. She didn't know what to think or how to act. Some days she felt terrified and trapped like she didn't know what was going to happen or what she was going to do. Her and Grimmjow didn't have the best relationship. Hell, they didn't even have a relationship.

 

She also noticed her hips were slightly wider. Soon, she would probably have to stop taking Yumichika's dance classes or find a pregnancy yoga class to keep up with her fitness routine.

 

Of course, there were other activities she could do but Nel didn't think that would be fair to Ulquiorra. She didn't want to use him for sex. She knew it would have been satisfying physically, but Nel wanted something else. She wanted Grimmjow all to herself.

 

The dark-haired man was going through something at the moment, but he didn't want to talk about it. He was like Nel in some aspects of being a shut-in about personal problems. They were all like that.

 

Let's cope with our inner demons by unhealthy coping mechanisms!

 

That should have been their slogan from the start of their friendship back in the third year. That's what each of them did. Grimmjow fought everyone. Ulquiorra repressed his emotions. Nnoitra had abused people, did drugs and got caught up in some deep shit. Nel got a shit load of tattoos that she couldn't see because all they did was remind her of an asshole who was long dead and gone.

 

Bazz offered her the chance many times but Nel always thought he was joking when he said it or texted it. He didn't want her. He was just joking around, trying to make her smile.

 

With a sigh, she walked back to where the bathtub was still filling but she didn't care. Since she was home alone, she left the door open and stepped into the tub. The water was nice and warm. She lowered herself to the floor of the big square and frowned when she noticed how deep the thing actually was.

 

Being as tall as she was, it came up to her mid-chest. Why did that numbskull want such a big tub? Probably to fuck  _Princess_  in.

 

God, that wasn't a bitter thought at all, she thought sarcastically. Nel closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. She was not going to allow that bitchy side of her to come out. Tonight was about relaxing.

 

Well, it would have been had she not heard the front door open and Ulquiorra's voice. He must have been talking on the phone. She heard his door open and close. The walls of this house were thin in some areas, probably where they had added to the house but she didn't realize how thin until she heard him in the other room. If she could hear him, he could probably hear the water running. She heard his door open and close again, then came a knock.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You're home.”  It hadn't been a question. Just a statement that she was there.

 

“Yeah,” she replied.

 

“May I come in?”

 

“I'm taking a bath.”

 

“May I join you?”

 

Nel's eyebrows furrowed and she couldn't process his request at the moment. Why would he want to—Oh. _Oh_. Ulquiorra wanted to join her in the tub and possibly have sex. At least, that's what she got from the questions. With a sigh, she found herself saying, “Come in.”

 

The door opened and she self-consciously brought her knees to her chest as a way to keep her modesty. Nel didn't know why she did this; the man knew every inch of her. His mouth, fingers, and penis had explored her thoroughly. Well, at least the mouth and hands.

 

He stood in the doorway of the bathing room and was looking at her with half-lidded eyes. As her eyes traveled down his body, she saw the signs of his erection in his jeans. He was horny and she was the only available body around since Orihime didn't so much as glance in his direction anymore. It was really heartbreaking to see how the redhead had discarded the man although he spent money on her every month for the house she didn't even seem to appreciate. He had spent money on the remodeling projects to please her. Everything he had done, he did it for her sake.

 

“Decided to try out that monstrosity?” he asked, his tone low.

 

She nodded. “I didn't realize it was so big,” she remarked.

 

“That's what—”

 

“I swear to God, if you finish that sentence, I'm going to kick you somewhere you're not going to enjoy. Then you won't have to worry about being hard,” she said with a semi-serious expression.

 

Ulquiorra was trying not to smile but he nodded. Nel's eyes watched as he stripped off the plain black t-shirt followed by his socks. He took his time with his jeans and boxers, it was probably only because he had an audience. She licked her lips as she watched his cock being released from its confines. It bobbed up and down as he pulled the clothing down. It was just as pale as he was, with the head being slightly closer to a normal flesh tone.

 

To her, the dark-haired man had a certain allure with his voice and his often emotionless eyes. She didn't know what he was thinking half the time as she caught him staring at her or when she witnessed his eyes following the redhead. Well, she knew what he was thinking when it came to the redhead. He was pining for her love.

 

He wasn't as tall as Grimmjow or Bazz for that matter.

 

Why in the world would she be thinking about _him_?

 

His body wasn't as cut as either man's but he was lean and he had muscle definition. When they had sex in the past, Nel felt as if she would break him. Ulquiorra had proven her wrong by almost breaking her. By the time he had used that last condom, her entire body was screaming from the force and number of the orgasms. She didn't know how he used so many condoms or how he lasted as long as he did.

 

Nel was sitting in the middle of the tub but she got to her knees and scooted closer as he walked into the room. In no time flat, they both were on either side of the tub. His hand flipped so that his palm was up, fingers spread wide. She looked up at him.

 

What did he want? She couldn't tell because all she saw was desire and hunger in those murky green eyes.

 

He wanted her, didn't he? He wouldn't use her as just a body to get off. Ulquiorra wasn't like that. He wasn't Grimmjow. Looking back on the handful of times that they had sex, Nel was impressed how much attention he had paid to her body. This would be a perfect opportunity to reciprocate the oral sex. To say thank you for all those times he'd paid worship to her body.

 

Her brain was telling her to stop. That she didn't want meaningless sex. It wasn't meaningless though. Ulquiorra had told her months, weeks ago that he felt something for her. That had been the night she had truly learned of what a monster he was in bed.

 

A wet hand, came up to rest in the middle of his chest. Nel's eyes followed the water as it ran down his chest. She raised up on her knees and licked the rivulet down his chest and stomach. Her other hand came up to his cock. Ulquiorra stopped her before she opened her mouth to let her tongue lick him.

  
  
“Nel, you don't have to do that,” he said. His voice was thick with yearning though. He could lie to her until he was blue in the face about not wanting this but she could hear it in his voice.

 

She looked up at him as her tongue flicked the head. She did it again only to see his eyes closed and his hand grabbed hers that was on his chest. The next thing she knew their fingers were intertwined.

 

Nel only had experience about giving head from two men. Nnoitra had taught her how to do this, how to please him. She took that lesson and applied it to Grimmjow who claimed he had never come harder in his life. Opening her mouth, Nel engulfed the head of Ulquiorra's dick. He gave a small grunt.

 

Comparing the three penises she had in her life, Nnoitra's dick was the longest which was to be expected, he had been almost seven feet tall; it had been skinny, like him. Grimmjow's was slightly above average but he was wide. Ulquiorra wasn't as wide as Grimmjow, not as skinny as Nnoitra but he was long, so that put him at the biggest for his size.

 

It only took Nel gagging once for him to cup her cheek with his free hand. “Not so much,” he murmured, pushing the same hand through her hair.

 

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him while his dick was still in her mouth. Untangling her fingers from his, Nel gently touched the shaft as she was going down on him. He groaned louder as the other hand slid down between his legs.

 

“Nel, don't, you'll make me come.”

 

The mouth was instantly removed from him. “Isn't that the point?”

 

“No,” he replied. “What you're doing feels damn good but I wanted to please you. You should turn the water off or it will spill over the sides when I get in.”

 

Nel looked down to see the tub had filled considerably while she was giving him head. With a sigh, she crawled over to the faucet and turned the water off. She then felt hands on her backside. When had he gotten in the tub? She looked over her shoulder to see Ulquiorra sink to his knees

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Do you want me to stop?”

 

“I want to know what you're doing,” Nel said.

 

Without warning, Ulquiorra pulled her up and had an arm under her breasts. The other arm was positioning his cock so it was nestled in the crack of her ass. Nel could feel his lips and hot breath on her neck. His hips made small thrusts against her.

 

“You know what I'm doing,” he murmured as both of his hands came to hold her tits. Nel looked down to see his pale hands against her skin. The contrast was striking. The sun-kissed color of her body was boldly different from his almost vanilla complexion. Nel was having a hard time comprehending the emotions in her head.

 

She hadn't realized that she was missing the touch of another person. Nel thought she could be a one-man island in this breakup and that she didn't need anyone else. After spending four years with a man by her side, Nel could feel the loneliness creeping into her skin. It wasn't like the absence that she shouldered after Nnoitra's death. No, her body knew what it was like to be wanted and touched. Understanding suddenly went through her; this is what Orihime had experienced after losing Ulquiorra.

 

Nel couldn't be that mad at the other woman now.

 

Fingers snaked down her chest and torso, resting gently on that small rise in her lower abdomen. Ulquiorra caressed the skin with such a tender touch. Then they went lower, her body jerked as his fingers slipped under the water and between the folds of flesh.

 

“You know I was reading that a pregnant woman gets hornier and hornier as the months advance,” he whispered in between her gasps.

 

“I don't think... I need to be... any more aroused.”

 

He chuckled, “I think you do. Turn around, I want to kiss you.”

 

She had a hard time swallowing after hearing that. Nel shifted in the water and found him now sitting on the floor of the tub. His legs were stretched out and she positioned herself above them, putting her legs on either side of his hips. If she moved just the tiniest bit, she could get him inside of her. Ulquiorra was onto her though because he pulled her closer. She didn't have time to raise up and impale herself on him.

 

Hands were everywhere on her body and soon she was panting as he brought her closer and closer to an orgasm. He hadn't kissed her mouth yet; his lips had been busy with her tits though. He sucked the sensitive nipples which made Nel whine.

 

“Please,” she begged as two fingers slipped inside her. Her own hand was dipping underwater; Nel had to have a release. This was torture for her. Touching her clit gently, she was surprised as his hand clamped around her wrist. Her head had been thrown back and she was prepared to get herself off if he wouldn't. Hazel eyes stared into green ones. “What?” she asked.

 

“I didn't bring any condoms in here,” he answered.

 

“Ulquiorra, I think condoms are a moot point now,” she said, disbelief lacing her tone. She couldn't believe he was worried about _that_ since she was already knocked up.

 

He bit his lip and a steel-like determination came over his face. In an instant, he was inside Nel. She cried out. Water churned around them as they moved together. The noises seemed to echo against the tile walls. It didn't take long for Nel to grip Ulquiorra's shoulders, her nails biting into his flesh. She had to grit her teeth to keep from screaming when the overload of pleasure hit her body. His body stilled beneath hers.

 

Nel opened her eyes when she felt him lift her up. He was standing up... Where was he going?

 

“Did you come?” she asked.

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I told you, I wanted to pleasure you,” he replied.

 

“Well, fuck you. I want you to come. This is the second time you've done this—”

 

He shoved his dick into her mouth. To say that she was startled by this, was an understatement. Nel caught on quick and was servicing him using both of her hands on his cock and his balls as he fucked her mouth. It didn't take long for him to spill his load into her throat. He shivered as Nel licked him clean afterward.

 

“Are you satisfied now?”

 

She had enough sense to look slightly ashamed at her outburst and nodded.

 

He gave her a small smile and stepped out of the tub. “Don't ever say fuck you to me, because I'll do it. I'm sure you know this,” he commented. His tone was incredibly casual as he said, “I'm sleeping with you tonight.”

 

Nel's breath caught in her throat because she didn't know if that was a promise or a threat.

 

* * *

 

Bazz's jaw clenched. He had stopped spying on the people in the house but Tsukishima made him do it that night. He didn't like spying because he didn't want it to accidentally come out that he knew things about Nel's life. He didn't like spying because he didn't want to see things like this. His brother said it was important. He wasn't happy with what he saw. It made him rankle in the worst way possible. Nel had the dark-haired man in her room. She was on top of him.

  

The night vision camera highlighted everything. He counted how many times she shuddered on top of the bastard and how many times they changed positions. Pretty soon, he just gave up because the numbers were running together and he couldn't see fucking straight. His dick was rock hard and Bazz didn't want to touch it. It felt too much like a betrayal if he got himself off while staring at her on another guy.

 

He was jealous. Bazz thought he was making some serious headway in the whole being friends thing with Nel. He made his seductive words come off as jokes. His suggestions were always followed by a trusty smiley face or haha. He knew one day the joking would stop and then they'd be in his bed, or hers. It didn't matter at this fucking point.

 

Maybe Tsukishima had a point in being the bad guys. They were rich enough to take what they wanted, even if it was technically their dad's money, and not face a serious backlash. How many times had Tsukishima paid for a woman to get an illegal abortion from the back alley doctor who lost his license because of misappropriation of medication? How many asses had Bazz kicked without the police dogging him for assault? Both activities were illegal.

 

As far as he knew, Tsukishima had never killed anyone though and neither had he. One time, he almost beat a guy to death but Bazz had held back.

 

But...

 

The more he thought about the plan, the more guilt piled onto him. His brother was in a truthfully fucked up place. What the guy was planning for the redhead was no fucking laughing matter. If caught, Tsukishima would be spending his life in prison. If Bazz was caught being involved with the plan, he was certain to be handed a prison sentence too.

 

The half-sibling had assured him that he would have Inoue's silence on this. Cifer's life was at stake. Granz and Lindocruz would take the fall. Bazz wasn't convinced.

 

He picked up his phone. He could text Nel and try to entice her away from the emo-looking asswipe. His fingers flew over the screen before he could talk himself out of it.

 

_\- Hey, whatcha doing?_

 

He watched the woman on the camera stop moving, Nel reached over and grabbed something that was laying on the bed beside them. The woman raised herself up slightly while the man continued to move under her.

 

Bazz had to swallow because she was still getting fucked. As the man's movements became faster, Nel dropped whatever was in her hands. He received a text a minute later. She had been texting him.

 

_\- Kinda busy; text me in the A.M.?_

 

Kinda busy? Bazz snorted. He didn't think getting fucked was kinda busy. That was full-on busy. He didn't bother to reply. He just sat and stared at the screen with the explicit images. The wireless cameras had been Tsukishima's idea. It meant that both men didn't need to be in the vicinity of that house. Tsukishima didn't have to interact with society.

 

It meant Bazz could lay in his bed and watch the fuck fest from his laptop. It meant he witnessed the man and woman continue for another hour. He had to admit, he was impressed with the man's stamina or libido.

 

Maybe... Nel sucked in bed and it took that long for the man to get off?

 

Bazz shook his head. Nah, that woman had a hot body and from what he could see from the many times he had watched them, she knew how to use that to her advantage. He also knew she attended pole and lap dancing classes as a way to stay fit.

 

He had seen the pictures of the foursome having sex together. He had taken his favorite from the bunch. Pulling it out of his bedside table, Bazz shifted onto his back instead of his side, studying the photograph. It showed Nel impaled on two dicks she had her arms held behind her by the guy with blue hair. Her eyes were tightly shut and mouth open. The redhead had a hand between other woman's legs.

 

Fuck, his dick was starting to hurt. He thought about all the numbers stored in his phone. He could go to a strip club. Groaning, Bazz palmed his cock through the sweatpants and turned his attention back to the laptop.

 

Nel was on her back now and the dark-haired man's face was between her legs. He'd bet anything her face was flushed and body shined with sweat beaded from such strenuous activities.

 

It'd been a long time since Bazz had gotten laid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Hot Chili Peppers – Hump De Bump  
> Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer  
> Cadmium – Melody ft. Jon Becker  
> Ok Go – Obsession  
> Angie - Spun  
> Death Team – Messed Up


	10. Liar, Thief, Lover, Cheat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow orders Orihime to take the test after she admits to what happened between her and the dark-haired man. Ulquiorra gets a call and goes to have a talk with Nel. He asks a really important question. Orihime tries to lie but Nel tells the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Nothing of note to warn you about in this chapter.
> 
> http://espada-iv.tumblr.com/post/169504166882/ <<< PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 12!

Grimmjow looked down at the woman snuggled into his side while they sat on that black leather couch. He had his arm around her, occasionally squeezing her tit or the side of her ample hips. He felt incredibly lucky, especially when she giggled or blushed.

 

Orihime was perceptive to his needs. When he came home from a day of building things, she ran him a bath; handed him a beer; fucked him into a daze. She would make him food but he made it known, he wouldn't eat any of her weird dishes.

 

He was a happy man. He'd be even happier if the two other people living in the house would fuck right off. He didn't want Nel's angry glares or scantily clad body around him.

 

Grimmjow had seen her that morning in the laundry room in a pair of tiny and tight exercise shorts that showed off her ass cheeks and a sports bra. He had gotten hard and almost snuck up behind her. The blue-haired man had to reign his shit in because that wasn't his anymore. He told himself he didn't want it either.

 

Lying motherfucker, that's what he was.

 

He didn't need Ulquiorra's pitiful looks of want toward Orihime or how he could hear Nel screaming the man's name.

 

Fuck, he thought with a shake of his head. It always came back to her, didn't it?

 

Nelliel Tu.

 

Nel Tu.

 

Fuck her.

 

He would gladly jump at the chance.

 

Grimmjow focused his attention back to Orihime and with a sigh, he made the redhead look at him. “Princess, I need to ask you something,” he said.

 

Ulquiorra's words echoed in his head from three weeks ago.

 

“ _Since she listens to you, tell Orihime to take a damn pregnancy test.”_

 

They had been having sex almost every day for almost two months. She never told him no, stop, don't. It was always yes, yes, yes. The look on her face was timid like he was going to scold her.

 

“Yes?” she asked.

 

“Have you had a period this month? I know that's not something you should be talking about with me but since I'm the one sticking their dick in you, I'm wondering.” He mentally added the statement, 'I don't really need to get another woman pregnant.' Of course, he rambled, trying to cover up his embarrassment at asking such a question.

 

“No.”

 

“What about last month?”

 

“No.”

 

“The month—”

 

“No. I've not had one since—” Orihime paused. She looked very uncomfortable.

 

“Since when, Princess?” She shook her head. Grimmjow pressed. “Orihime, since when?”

 

Her face became the color of a tomato. “It was before Ulquiorra and me...” she mumbled the rest of it to her lap and he couldn't make it out.

 

“What?”

 

“It was before Ulquiorra and I had... anal sex,” she said in a louder voice. The flushed color had extended to her neck.

 

His nostril flared. So, it was true; the asshole hadn't been bragging. Grimmjow had to resist from sneering. “When was that?”

 

The answer came and his eyes about bugged out of his head. _ALMOST THREE AND A HALF FUCKING MONTHS AGO_? “He bought you a pregnancy test, didn't he? Do you still have it?”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Answer me, Princess.”

 

She nodded.

 

“Go take one,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

He watched as the redhead scrambled off the couch and out of the room. He could hear her footsteps in the hall and then her door opening. Grimmjow shook his head.

 

There were more footsteps in the hall and then the fainter sound of a door at the other end of the house opening and closing. She was using the second bathroom. Of course, she wanted privacy. He could afford her that luxury at the moment.

 

He sat back on the couch and waited.

 

* * *

 

Orihime was sitting on the toilet. She was staring at the positive test in one hand. Her phone was in the other. The moment she had pulled the stick from between her legs, it had bloomed a positive result. Her bottom lip trembled.

 

She was pregnant again.

 

Her fingers tapped a single name on her phone's screen and then she held it up to her ear. He picked up on the first ring. She heard a door closing after he answered.

 

“Yes, Orihime?”

 

“I'm pregnant.”

 

Orihime could hear Ulquiorra breathing become unsteady. He was silent and she thought he had hung up on her.

 

“Congratulations to you and Grimmjow,” finally came that flat monotone. “Is that all you called to tell me? Why; to rub it in?”

 

“We need to talk,” her voice was quivering. She was going to cry. She could feel the tears welling up. If they spilled over, it was because of his next words.

 

“I'm at fucking work trying to ink someone. I don't have time to talk to you. I don't need to talk to you. Go talk to Grimmjow, since you're with him,” he objected, anger leaking into the monotone, giving it some inflection.

 

The tears fell out of her eyes and hit her naked thighs. She could feel panic rise in her throat as he was silent on the other end of the line. “Why are you mad?”

 

She heard nothing and pulled the phone away to see the call had ended. He had hung up on her.

 

With a sigh, Orihime made herself decent and put the cap on the test then slid it back into the wrapping it had come in. She washed her hands in the sink and then went to her room. She was tempted to slide the test under his door but she didn't feel like being spiteful. She just slipped the test into her bag.

 

There was no one else she could call with this news. She could have called Nel but the woman had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with the redhead. What about her friends? She couldn't tell anyone from the university about this; they would run to the administration as fast as possible! Her high school friends were awkward to be around, ever since that incident with Ichigo.

 

Ichigo.

 

A pang went through her heart. Another male she had led on and broken. He had been right; she was a bitch and a slut. Nel was right; she was a homewrecker and a whore.

 

She dialed his number.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra apologized to his client after entering the room and finished the tattoo. It looked like absolute garbage to him but the man had been pleased with his work. After he was done at the front of the shop, where he avoided Yachiru like she was the plague, he went back to Nel's office. The woman was scowling at her phone.

 

He walked behind her desk, tipped her chin up, and kissed her before flopping down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Nel was still scowling but this time at him.

 

“What did I do now?”

 

“Nothing, I was just surprised at that,” she said.

 

“Surprised? Lady, we've been sleeping together for an entire week,” he replied and brought his thumb up to his mouth. He started biting the side of it. In actuality, it'd been longer than that. “I think, I'm allowed to kiss you.”

 

He saw her blush slightly. If she was already in a meh-like mood, it wasn't gonna get better. “Babe?”

 

“Hmmm?” she said distractedly as her phone dinged. If she didn't get the pet name, then she wasn't paying attention to him. Ding! It must have been the Bazz guy. She was probably fighting with him because the look on her face wasn't friendly.

 

Ulquiorra cleared his throat. “Nel, this is important.”

 

“Sorry, Bazz is being an ass today.”

 

“It's okay. Orihime called me.”

 

He suddenly had all of Nel's attention. She put down her phone and stood up, walking around to the front of the desk. She leaned against it and crossed her arms over her chest. Ulquiorra called it her boss stance.

 

“What did she say?”

 

“You were right,” he said in a calm voice. “She's pregnant. I wished her and Grimmjow the best.”

 

“Are you serious, Ulquiorra?” Nel asked after she picked her jaw off the floor. The dark-haired man could tell that she was visibly shaken and shocked at this news. He nodded and she sighed, “Fuck me running.”

 

He shook his head with a bitter kind of smile. “We could try it, safety first though,” he stated, looking at the wall. Ulquiorra was being sarcastic. He was still pissed off that the woman had called him. Why the fuck had she called him? Shouldn't she have been talking to Grimmjow?

 

“You're angry. It's just like when I said I was pregnant,” she commented.

 

Ulquiorra nodded. “I know your baby isn't mine. The two times we've fucked without a condom was when we had that threesome the first time, you still had the birth control and—No, Orihime put a condom on me that night. Not counting all the times we've done things this week, only once. I might be forgetting a one-off. That's Grimmjow's kid.”

 

Nel nodded, “I knew that much. I've not told Grimmjow though. I didn't want to get your hopes up.”

 

“I was angry because I didn't want to get my hopes either. I didn't want to go through the whole miscarriage thing again,” he said softly, turning back to her. “I had so much riding on Orihime. I still don't want to get my hopes up, Nel. What if it's not mine? I can't do it again.”

 

The teal haired woman chuckled, “Then Grimmjow is fucked and better get a real damn job.”

 

They were silent for a moment, Ulquiorra bit his lip and worried the skin with his teeth. He was such a mess at the moment but it didn't show on the outside. It was all on the inside. He was an idiot, letting the redhead walk all over him. He had bought her a house to live in. He put in a new bathroom and a new kitchen for her. He would have done anything for her. He was trying to show her that he could provide anything she wanted.

 

Did Orihime care? Probably not at this point. She was too wrapped up in Grimmjow.

 

Nel was much more appreciative of whatever Ulquiorra did for her; the bed; moving the dresser; pregnancy pillow. He had a bigger surprise for her at the end of the week. He was dying to tell her but it would have to be a secret and kept quiet.

 

“I'm not sure I want to be a dad. I don't know if I'm ready for that responsibility,” he confessed. “It just feels like since I've come back into everyone's life, it's all the same. Everywhere is the same.”

 

“What do you mean?” she asked. He wrapped his arms around Nel as she sat in his lap. Ulquiorra put his forehead against her chest.

 

Ulquiorra shook his head. “It's stupid. Nevermind.”

 

Her fingers walked up his chest. “You can't do that,” Nel said with a teasing smile. She was trying to get him to feel better.

 

“Orihime gave me this window to a world I never thought I could know; that I never knew existed. It makes me angry at my family that I missed out on years of potential relationships with people,” Ulquiorra began. This was going to hurt. This could destroy the person he knew himself to be. “She could have asked for anything and I would have given it to her. She gravitated to Grimmjow and like I told you, this was all for her.

 

She made me feel. She unlocked all this craziness inside of me. I can't get rid of it. I can't repress things anymore. It doesn't work. If I could take this all back; if I could make it right, I would. I'd go back to finding out Nemu was cheating and I'd start there. I'd find Orihime sooner. I'd do things right instead of fucking up her life like I did. I would have never taken that commission. I don't even know why I took the damn thing, Nel. It's not like I needed money. I just didn't want to use what was there.”

 

He took a deep breath; his voice was cracking and he was on the verge of tears. He blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. Nel's fingers forced his chin up so that he was looking at her. “I wonder what would have happened if I left Nemu six months earlier. Who would I be? It's stupid but the first time I left Orihime, it felt like without her, it's like I was dying. It hurt. She was keeping my heart beating over there in America.

 

When she stopped contacting me, I had to become who I was before. I didn't know anything else. Remember that night that Grimmjow sang to you? I knew I was in love with her. I wish I could do something like that for Orihime. That asshole sings and panties drop. What woman wants a drawing?”

 

“You'd be surprised Ulquiorra.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you think you're better off now than two years ago? Five years ago?” Nel asked, putting her head against his forehead.

 

He weighed the options in his head. In some ways, yes. On the other hand, no. Ulquiorra didn't want to think about that right now. He had no use for the past. His eyes were on the present and future. Something besides the whole Orihime issue was bothering him.

 

“Nel?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

His voice dropped to a murmur because he was rather embarrassed about asking her this. “What are we?”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was surprised as Orihime quickly hung up the phone as he slid her door open. His sky blue eyes flicked from the device to her own dark eyes. “Well?” He asked.

 

He watched as she shook her head. “The test didn't say anything really. I'll go buy another one tomorrow,” she replied.

 

“There's a twenty-four-hour store around here, we can go right now and get another one, Orihime,” Grimmjow pointed out.

 

“I don't want to!”

 

What? What the hell did she mean she didn't want to? “Why not?” he asked.

 

Her eyes burned with anger. “Because I don't want to and I don't have to! I'll do it when I _fucking_ , please! Now, get out!”

 

His blue eyes widened at Orihime's use of the obscenity. He watched as she stood and stomped over to the door, sliding it shut.

 

Grimmjow slowly walked back to the bedroom and found his phone on top of his dresser. He tapped it and scrolled through the contacts. She had been on the phone. Who had she talked to? Nel? Ulquiorra? One of her friends from university? One of her high school friends?

 

He tapped Nel's number and waited. She answered and Grimmjow said, “Has Orihime called you?”

 

“Hi, Nel. Sorry, I'm bothering you at work,” she replied in a bitchy tone.

 

“Nel, has Orihime called you today?”

 

“No, why? Did you want to boast about the power of your sperm too?”

 

“What?”

 

“Congrats, you're a daddy.”

 

“ _WHAT?_ ”

 

“Well, I thought seeing how Orihime is pregnant too, you'd be happy,” she said in a disinterested voice.

 

“What?” That seemed to be his only thought in his head at the moment. Grimmjow's eyes were wide open and he couldn't believe what the hell his ex-girlfriend was saying to him. What did she mean Orihime is pregnant?

 

He heard Nel sigh, “Have you gone stupid?”

 

“What do you mean Orihime is pregnant?”

 

The cackling laugh that came out of Nel's mouth sent a chill through his body. “Wow, you didn't even know. Well, I guess I'll tell you now. I'm having your baby and Orihime could possibly be having your kid too. Better get a real job, Grimmjow.”

 

His phone beeped, signaling the end of the call. Grimmjow's hand curled around the thing before he launched it with as much force as he could at the wall. He didn't even bother to go pick it up before he stomped out of the room. He shoved the rice paper screen to Orihime's room to the side and she yelped as he walked in.

  
  
“Get up. You are coming with me!”

 

* * *

 

Nel watched as Grimmjow's blue head and Orihime's red hair walked into the door. She sighed as Rangiku tried to protest them going past the curtain. She quickly picked up her phone and tapped Ulquiorra's name.

 

“Get down to my office. Grimmjow's here.”

 

“I'm with a client!”

 

“Miss the show then.”

 

“Dammit Nel!”

 

She hung up and stood, just as her office door swung open. The doorknob smashed into the wall and she could see the dent in the surface. Grimmjow stood there and boy, he was angry. His arm raised and he pointed at her as he advanced into the room.

 

“You.” His glacier blue eyes narrowed.

 

Nel raised an eyebrow at the redhead as she scuttled into the room after him, her head pointed down. “Yes?” She inquired.

 

“What the fuck did you mean on the phone?”

 

He was now standing in front of her so Nel had to look around him to see who closed the door. Ulquiorra did and he looked panicked. His eyes flicked between her and the blue-haired man.

 

“Orihime called Ulquiorra. She told him she was pregnant,” Nel casually explained. “He came and told me. You called me and I thought you were just rubbing it in my face that you got her pregnant.”

 

“There's no fucking way she's pregnant. She's taking the birth control pills! You're just being a bitch,” Grimmjow growled. His teeth were bared but Nel knew he wouldn't take his anger out on her. If he did decide to lay a finger on her, she could potentially fuck him up just as bad. After all, she had survived Nnoitra. “You're a fucking liar, Nel.”

 

“She's not lying.”

 

Everyone looked at the young woman who was now a lovely bright shade of red and still staring at the floor. She had a tiny white open packet in her hands and held it up. Before anyone had time to react, it was gone.

 

It was Ulquiorra who got there first. He snatched it away from her and quickly pulled the stick out. Nel watched as his eyes went wide and he looked at Orihime, Grimmjow, and finally Nel. There was a wild indignation there; it was almost to the point of rage. The green eyes landed on Orihime again.

 

The tension and the silence in the room was stifling. Nel moved slowly around her desk and grabbed Grimmjow's arm. “C'mon Grimm. We have something to talk about,” Nel said quietly. She watched him shake his head. “Grimmjow, _we need to talk._ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Hot Chili Peppers – Don't Forget Me  
> Meg Myers – After You  
> Evanescence – Solitude  
> Bad Religion – Skyscraper (Acoustic)  
> Fingazz – I Feel For You  
> Zayn – I Don’t Wanna Live Forever Ft Taylor Swift  
> Eminem – River Ft. Ed Sheeran  
> O.A.R - Shattered


	11. They Slit Our Throats Like We Were Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra gets news and denied. Grimmjow gets news and denied. Bazz finally talks to Tsukishima. Nel gets an offer that she doesn't want to refuse and Grimmjow gets hot, bothered, and jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> http://espada-iv.tumblr.com/post/169504166882/ <<< PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 12!

Ulquiorra was absolutely livid.

 

Both Nel and Grimmjow avoided touching him as they left the room, leaving him and Orihime alone. His fist clenched and he had to fight tooth and nail to keep calm instead of destroying everything in the office.

 

“Look at me,” he demanded.

 

She shook her head.

 

“Orihime, look at me now.”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

She sniffled and turned away from him. That was the wrong fucking thing to do. Within an instant, he was right next to her. His hand forced her head up and he put the same hand around her throat, so she couldn't look down again. He wanted to squeeze but he didn't. “Orihime.”

 

Her dark eyes searched his face. Ulquiorra's anger faltered for a moment. “What?”

 

He wasn't even sure why he was angry. Perhaps, it was because she was letting Grimmjow fuck her and he could hear it and it wasn't him slamming into her. Jealousy was creeping up his spine and burying itself in his brain; into his senses again. His hand dropped and it slipped around her bicep. He didn't want her to turn from him. “It's mine, isn't it?” he asked.

 

“I think so,” she said. “That's why I called you first.”

 

She had called him first? What? Why would she have called him first? Why wouldn't she have told her boyfriend first? If it was his then it was understandable why she had called him first. “How long have you known? Why didn't you tell Grimmjow first?”

 

“I didn't tell him because—I don't know why I didn't tell him. I've known for about an hour now.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

Orihime shrugged. “I don't know. If the school finds out about this, I'll have to drop out. There's no way they're going to let me continue to go and—”

 

“I can take care of you if that happens. After the baby is born, you can go back. You can do anything you want,” Ulquiorra stated. He looked down at her and wiped an errant tear away with his thumb. He started talking without really thinking about what he was saying. “Woman, come back to me. It can be just you and me. We can be like we were the first—”

 

“No, we can't be like we were before, Ulquiorra. Too much has happened. We are not that innocent anymore,” Orihime murmured.

 

It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Ulquiorra turned and left the office. He walked back to his tattooing area and back to working on his client. Orihime could go to hell for all he cared at that moment.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow and Nel walked out of the back door of Candy Ink. There was a small patch of dirt before the alley behind the shop. The upstairs tenants used it as a place to park their motorized bikes. Grimmjow looked down at his feet. He knew that Nel didn't come out here much, only to set out the day's trash.

 

He looked at the teal-haired woman carefully. She looked completely normal; jeans, beat up trainers, hair in a bun and a black t-shirt with a faded jaguar screen printed on it. “Is that my shirt?” he asked.

 

She nodded.

 

“You gave it to me one Christmas—”

 

“When Nnoitra assaulted me the first time,” she said.

 

“I was going to say in the ninth year,” he corrected. “Where'd you get it?”

 

Nel sighed and wrapped her arms around her. “I got it out of your drawer. I needed some bigger t-shirts, so I took it until I can get to a store and buy bigger clothes. It's an extra large. I'll give it back when I get some more stuff.”

 

The blue-haired man nodded. “Did we really need to talk or was that just an excuse to leave them alone?”

 

“You're going to be a dad.”

 

“Are you on this bullshit about Orihime again?”

 

Her head shook and he realized what she meant. His breath caught in his throat. He grinned like an idiot. “You mean—you mean that... You and I... We—yeah?”

 

“Yeah, Grimm. We're gonna be parents. I'm going to another ultrasound appointment soon,” Nel said. She looked down at the graveled yard. “If you want to go.”

 

He would never admit out loud that he missed her terribly. Losing her had been like chopping off his arm or giving up his best friend. Still, he was happy that she told him that it was his baby. A warmth bloomed in his chest and in his head. He was gonna be a dad.

 

Grimmjow took a chance and walked closer to her. She didn't stop him as one of his arms wrapped around her body. The other hand caressed the side of her neck until she looked up at him. He couldn't help himself, especially when it came to Nel. His lips brushed against hers.

 

She struggled for a moment before Nel managed to wrangle herself out of the embrace. “We can't Grimmjow. You have to give up Princess before that,” she managed to say.

 

“You tell me that we're going to have a baby together and you're not willing to work this out?” he questioned. “Nel, I've always wanted you. I've always thought somewhere you'd be my wife and have my kids. I want kids with you. I want to grow old with you. Why can't you forgive me for making a mistake?”

 

Nel sighed and Grimmjow frowned. “I'm tired of doing things your way; we've always done it that way and look where we are at. You didn't have my permission to bring Ulquiorra into our apartment and have him start eating my pussy. You didn't have my blessing to start fucking Orihime. You didn't care when you got caught with Ulquiorra. You laid down the law thinking we'd all be okay with it.”

 

“Tch.”

 

“You need to do this on my terms,” she finished.

 

He scoffed again and shook his head. “What are your terms then?”

 

“Give her up. Get a real job. Show me you want us. Give me the freedom to have friends.”

 

Grimmjow looked at her like she had a head for everything she stated. Four fucking heads for her four crazy ideas. “So break Orihime's heart. Give up something I love to do and let down my band mates then basically give you the world. Sounds like a cinch, anything else? Perhaps you'd like me to take over Hell with a handgun?”

 

“I'm not saying give up your workshop or the band. I'm saying get a job that pays regularly,” she explained. “I am allowed to have friends, Grimm. I didn't like your friends all that much while in school.”

 

“Yet, you seem to be all over Ulquiorra now.”

 

“I was talking about Loly. What about that one exchange student that you fucked?”

 

“That was Ulq's bitch and I didn't fuck Giselle.”

 

“We're just going to have to agree to disagree on this matter right now. Neither of us is willing to make a compromise, at the moment.” Nel sighed and turned around. She stopped when she got to the door. “What does she have that I don't? What makes her so damn special?”

 

“I—I don't know.”

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima looked at how the factory/warehouse facilities were coming along in this project. He had been avoiding calls from Bazz for the past couple of weeks. He was too focused on this to let his brother soften his heart. Not that it would matter.

 

The tall man didn't plan on any more bumps in the road. The rooms for playing around in were almost done with the metal walls and the rings in various spots embedded in the steel. The rings were for clipping things too, like handcuffs or collars and even rope.

 

Minimal bathrooms, with just a shower and toilet, were installed; one on each end of the huge factory floor; one for each female. He heard clanging behind him as he was in the main office above the floor. Bazz's boots were stomping across the metal catwalk that led to the door.

 

“You've been avoiding me, asshole,” Bazz proclaimed as he walked into the room with the single table in the middle of it. “We need to talk.”

 

“We do?”

 

“Yes,” Bazz said as he put a hand on the blueprints for the factory. “You knew what was going on in that house the other night. Why did you tell me I had to watch the cameras?”

 

A hint of a smirk played across Tsukishima's mouth. He lightly slapped his brother's face several times. “Oh Bazz, the more time you spend worrying about Nelliel, the more flustered you get,” he said in a mocking, babyish tone. "It's rather adorable in a disgusting way."

 

“I want you to leave Nel out of this,” the bright-haired man said. “Go solely after the redhead.”

 

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. Was his brother's tone threatening? “Maybe I should line up all the available men in our father's ranks and let them abuse her. That's roughly around two hundred men?”

 

“You wouldn't fucking dare,” came the deadly reply.

 

Ah, good. Bazz was now nice and angry. Those green eyes held rage that Tsukishima let wash over him. Nel was going to be how he controlled Bazz.

 

“If you don't want her body to turn into a daycare center, I would advise you not to threaten me, Bazz.” He heard his brother's phone ding and the mohawked man turned and walked out of the room with long strides. Tsukishima smiled broadly.

 

This was going to be exquisite. He had the potential to not only break the women, but also his half-sibling. His head swung back to the blueprints and then to the checklist of things that still needed to be done.

 

* * *

 

A couple days later, Nel answered her phone as she was lying in bed. She knew from the ringtone, it was Bazz. Pushing the green circle, she held the thing to her ear. “Hello, Bazzard.”

 

“M'lady,” he replied. She could hear him practically smiling through the phone. “What are you doing tonight?”

 

“Nothing, probably just watching a movie and going to bed. I've not been getting much sleep,” she answered.

  
  
It was the truth. Sleeping beside Ulquiorra meant that they would fuck until _he_ was exhausted and then he would throw his arm over her, pulling her close and go to sleep. Nel would toss and turn, trying to find a comfortable position. She would think about things; the past; the future; the what-ifs. The biggest thing weighing on her mind was the baby.

 

It was all speculation. It was all bullshit.

 

The nightly activities were starting to wear her down.

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

“Want to go see a movie with me?”

 

“Are you asking me out?”

 

The playful scoff was cute. “Tch, of course. Who wouldn't ask you out?”

 

Nel's eyebrows furrowed. She knew a couple of people that wouldn't ask her out. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Sure in the beginning of their relationship, Grimmjow took her places and showed her a good time. Ulquiorra would buy her lunch but they'd never went out in public. She rolled her eyes, pushing the thoughts away. He'd buy her a bed but never take her out to dinner.

 

Her taste in men was truly fucked up. Bazz seemed nice though. He didn't have any hangups or baggage, it seemed. He appeared to be a rich bachelor who wanted to slum around with her. How did she catch his eye though? Why couldn't Nel take an upgrade?

 

“Okay,” she finally said.

 

“What?”

 

“I said okay, I'll go with you,” Nel replied.

 

“Really? Holy—I didn't think you'd say yes,” Bazz commented. “What about dinner? Can I interest you in some sushi?”

 

“Bazz,” Nel began to decline but she stopped herself. Why was she so resistant to everything this guy wanted to do for her? He had shown her that he was just a friend and nothing more. He wasn't overly pushy or aggressive.

 

“C'mon Nel. Let me take you on a proper date tonight. I'll be a gentleman all night long. I'll tell your dad, I'll have you back by tomorrow morning,” he chuckled.

 

That made her laugh. Bazz made her laugh all the time. Grimmjow just made her angry. Ulquiorra made her scream in pleasure. She needed someone as uncomplicated as the first man.

 

But if she accepted the entire date thing, it meant she was breaking the rules... Weren't Grimmjow and Orihime already breaking the rules by being exclusive and sleeping in that big bed with each other? “Sure, Bazz. I'll even wear a dress for you which I've not done since my ninth year of school.”

 

“Nice, I'll wear a skirt for you. I've never done that for a woman.”

 

Nel hung up the phone laughing. God, that guy was a walking comedy routine. He told her that he'd pick her up around eight and that they'd be going to Utsunomiya for dinner and the movie. The bigger city had more selections of restaurants than Nikko did, which was totally true. One had to search the town to find hidden gems.

 

It was a little past four right now. She had time to work out and then take a shower. She should shave, just in case... Just in case of what? Was she entertaining the idea of sleeping with him? Nel couldn't do that. She was almost twenty weeks pregnant!

 

As soon as Bazz found that out, he'd probably run for the hills and she would never hear from him again. Maybe she should cancel. She bit her lip and worried the skin with her teeth, practically chewing on it.

 

What was she going to tell Ulquiorra?

 

Sorry, I can't suck and fuck you tonight, didn't seem that eloquent or ladylike to say to someone who did as best as they could to see you smile. She needed to get out of the house though. The atmosphere was oppressive and it made her miserable. Being miserable made her stress out and Nel didn't handle stress well.

 

Nel rolled out of her bed and walked over to the closet. There were several brand new outfits in the closet thanks to Grimmjow and his car. He'd let her use it to go shopping. She had bought a dress but it was just a long shirt to Nel. She would wear leggings under it.

 

It was a soft and almost shimmery kiwi green three-quarters sleeve oxford shirt dress. When Nel tried it on, it came to several inches above her knees. She picked out a pair of black ankle boots. She walked over to the dresser and picked out a matching bra and panty set. She tried not to feel uncomfortable as she laid each item out on her bed, along with her makeup bag and a nice purse. She then retrieved her black asymmetrical leather jacket. It was slouchy and comfortable. Its off-center lapel would hide what the dress couldn't.

 

Nel stuffed her house keys, wallet, phone and a lip balm in the purse... She looked at the ensemble and decided to add a condom to the purse. She didn't know why she even had them, Grimmjow hated using them. She should have insisted on him using them when she couldn't find her pills.

 

Shaking her head, Nel headed off to the bathroom to shower, deciding not to work out. She would need all the strength she could muster tonight.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow looked at Nel as she walked into the kitchen dressed to the fucking nines. He was warming up some food in the microwave when he heard the sounds of high heels clicking on the wood floor. “Where the fuck are you going dressed like that?”

 

For fuck sakes, she had on a _dress_! The blue-haired man didn't even remember the last time she wore a skirt outside of school days. She had on makeup and—fuck him... Her lips were a glossy deep peach. Her hair was curled.

 

She smelled sensual and delicious. Grimmjow had to grab a hold of the counter to keep from pulling her to him.

 

“What?”

 

“I asked, where the hell you think you're going dressed like that?” Grimmjow repeated the question. “Is Ulquiorra taking you somewhere?”

 

Her hazel eyes gave him an unimpressed look. Nel dismissed him as she reached into the refrigerator for a small bottle of juice. “I'm going out... on a date. Not that it's any of your business what I do,” Nel said. She opened the bottle and took a drink then gave him a forced smile before turning. His eyes narrowed because the lip gloss should have disappeared with her drinking something.

 

“You're not going anywhere, Nel. I don't want the mother of my kid going out looking like that,” Grimmjow argued. He followed the teal-haired woman down to the entrance door. His blue orbs were still focused on her lips. “Fuck.”

 

Nel raised an eyebrow before she bent over to pick up her purse. “I can go anywhere I want, Jaegarjaquez. Just because I'm having your kid, does not give you ownership of me or my body.”

 

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! That's all Grimmjow thought as he watched her fold herself in half in front of him. His hands itched to touch her; kiss her; watch as her mouth wrapped around him. Nel's body returned to the upright position and she now stood at almost eye level with him. She was still off by two inches.

 

Grimmjow watched as she smirked. His brain was telling him that this was no good and to run. He didn't listen. He never backed down from Nel and he wasn't about to start. Her body was flush with his and he was certain that she felt that he was getting hard.

 

“I bet if I offered, you'd live between my legs wouldn't you?” she asked, her tone a touch sultry while being laced with coldness. She licked her lips and that gloss still didn't come off.

 

His sky blue eyes searched her face. What did she hope to accomplish by doing this? As soon as she left, he was going to find someone in this house and have his way with them. If it was Orihime, he already knew that the redhead wouldn't be walking right for a couple of hours. If it was Ulquiorra, well, the man might be a tad hoarse tomorrow.

 

Finally, he scoffed and ran a hand over his face. Grimmjow was about to retort to her taunt but her phone dinged and he saw someone pull into the driveway beside his car. That damn red sports car with the damn fire engine red-headed driver.

 

“We're not done discussing this, Nelliel,” he fumed.

 

“Don't wait up, Grimmjow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 30 Seconds To Mars – A Beautiful Lie  
> Lund – Broken  
> Aesthetic Perfection – Relapse  
> Red Hot Chili Peppers – Aeroplane  
> Gorillaz – Rock The House  
> The Used & MCR – Under Pressure (Live)  
> Nirvana – Something in the Way  
> Halestorm – Amen  
> Evanescence – Oceans


	12. Roll The Dice and Swear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel goes on a date with Bazz... Things are looking up. Ulquiorra finds out that Nel's not home and confronts her about it when she comes back. Grimmjow stirs up bad memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Some light sexual activity nothing too extreme. I've included the fanart I drew... I've not drawn anything for a fandom since 2009... so I'm a little rusty when it comes to my art programs and stuff... I also got lazy and frustrated with Nel's hair and their clothes.

 

Dinner had been surprisingly awesome. Bazz was ever the gentleman as he ordered different dishes. Nel sampled a lot of things which he fed her. The sushi place that he picked was tiny, almost a hole in the wall type of spot.

 

He tried to get her to taste their sake but she declined and sipped her green tea. The conversation wasn't forced. Bazz was comfortable with the silence between them. This was nice. There were no cameras between them. He wasn't fucking his hand to images of her bouncing on the weird pale guy.

 

From her curled hair to her boots, he could tell she took the time and the trouble to impress him. Nel could have put on a rice sack and he would have been affected by her.

 

As they finished the last course of sushi, he reached beside him and put his hand on her knee. Her hazel eyes glanced down for a fraction of a second.

 

“You look great tonight,” he murmured to her.

 

Damn. She looked so alluring as a blush spread across her cheeks. He noticed it was mostly concentrated over her nose. Nel thanked him and he paid the bill. Bazz offered her his arm and she took it as they walked out of the place. The movie theatre was just down the street.

 

They walked in the chilly night, with Nel holding Bazz's arm tightly. They made small talk and soon they were inside the warm building.

 

Bazz couldn't tell anyone much about the movie. He was too busy teasing Nel with brushes of his fingers on her hand, arm, and thigh; covert glances and a hell of a lot of sexual tension. He felt like a kid on a first date with a girl he really liked. It was maddening.

 

Frustration was something he was well acquainted with by now though.

 

About halfway through the movie, Nel took off her jacket and placed it on her lap. He took this as an invite to pull up the armrest in between them, so there was no barrier. Nel slid closer. Bazz's hand slipped under the coat.

 

His fingers traveled no farther than her mid-thigh but he could tell how turned on she was by the heat in between her legs. By the time the movie was over, all the mohawked man wanted to do was take Nel somewhere. He didn't care if it was a hotel or his apartment.

 

She gave him a heated look as he helped her into her jacket. Bazz turned his head to the side and licked his lips before giving her that grin that made her blush. He made the decision to bump up against her as they were filing out of the theatre room. Nel gasped and Bazz held her against him for a moment, letting some people walk in front of them.

 

Soon as the way was clear again, they were walking side by side to a parking garage. Bazz contemplated kissing her as soon as they were in the car but he chose to let her take things at her pace. He had been patient. He could wait a bit longer.

 

* * *

 

They laughed at something silly and then the sound faded. They'd been sitting in the car for an hour now, just talking. The tension in the air was thick and warm although the temperature was cool.

 

Nel bit her lip and glanced at Bazz. He was staring back at her, his eyelids lowered, head lying against the headrest of the driver seat. She watched as his teeth rake over his bottom lip. Her mouth became dry watching him do that simple action.

 

“I should take you home,” he said. His voice sounded strangely thick and rough.

 

“You don't have to,” she said, timidly. “It's not like I have a curfew. Besides, this is nice. Just two... friends... hanging... out...”

 

“You don't sound convinced, Nel.”

 

“Why do you always call me out?” she asked, turning in the passenger seat towards him. Nel noticed his gaze dropped from her face to her legs then quickly up again. She made sure she was sitting like a lady.

 

He chuckled which made a push of arousal go straight between her legs. Bazz still had his green eyes trained on her. “Because I can; I will. Every time I think you're trying to bullshit me. I think you want something from me.”

 

She blushed and shook her head, looking down at her lap where her hands were folded. “You're an idiot,” Nel said with a smile on her face.

 

“I am? Nel, you got dressed up to go out with me,” Bazz claimed. He turned his body so that he somewhat mimicked her position. “You're wearing nice boots. You've got a dress on. I don't care how casual it is, it's a dress. You're showing me a lot of leg.”

 

Nel was becoming uncomfortable with what he was observing about her. “It's normal for a woman to want to look nice occasionally. You've never seen me cleaned up. It's always t-shirt and jeans with beat up sneakers.”

 

He did that stupid, boyish grin which made her stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies. “You're wearing a necklace and bracelet. You even curled your hair and put on makeup.”

 

Bazz suddenly sat forward. He invaded her personal space. Nel heard him inhale. “You smell like vanilla,” he mentioned.

 

“You always look nice when you come into my shop. I just thought you should get to see me like that,” she murmured. A hand was placed on her thigh and another on her cheek. Bazz was very close to her. Her breathing hitched for a moment. “Bazz.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Their mouths were just inches from each other. Her eyes searched his face for something, anything to tell her to stop this madness. It was wrong; she had a boyfriend. Grimmjow said he wanted nothing to do with her though. Shit, that was right. She wasn't with Grimmjow. Was Ulquiorra her boyfriend? No.

 

Nothing was holding her back.

 

This suddenly became exciting for Nel. This was something; someone new. This was an unexplored territory. In her entire life, Nel had only slept with three men; Nnoitra, Grimmjow, and Ulquiorra. Did she want to add a fourth name to that list?

 

Nel lightly ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. She slowly inched forward and let her mouth touch Bazz's. It could barely be called a kiss. The hand on her face, slid into her hair pulling her closer. Parting her mouth slightly, she was surprised as her tongue touched his gently. Desire stirred in the pit of her stomach.

 

She pulled away from Bazz, just enough to catch her breath. He seemed to be breathing heavily too. The hand on her thigh glided up her body to the other side of her face to tangle in her hair. He was pulling her back in. Their mouths made contact again. She was barely conscious that she had pulled her leather jacket off her body.

 

It wasn't a gentle kiss this time. This oral caress was one that felt like it would decide a war of need and want.

 

Did she need this?

 

No. If Nel wanted to have sex she had two willing bodies at home... Well, at least one willing body. Ulquiorra probably would never say no to her.

 

Did she want this?

 

Hell yes. She was tired of Bazz's furtive stares of longing. She was weary of his “accidental” touches. She wanted to give into his infatuation for her.

 

She could feel herself responding urgently to him. Her own hand came up and gripped the lapel of his jacket. The lukewarm air hit her chest and Nel broke the kiss again to find Bazz's fingers had unbuttoned the top of her dress. Her breasts, in the strapless bra, were now on display for him.

 

Nel watched him carefully. Bazz's eyes were drawn to what he uncovered and he swallowed hard before looking up at her. He leaned in close and brushed his lips against hers before pulling her into his lap. Her legs went to either side of his hips. His arms went around her and she felt her bra loosen considerably.

 

Oh, he had unhooked it. The shoulders of her dress were being pushed down and Nel brought her sleeve covered arms over her chest. She rested her forehead against his; her eyes were closed. She was panting now. Never in her life had she felt so aroused. “Bazz?”

 

“Nel.”

 

“We're in your car.”

 

“I know.”

 

She took a stuttering breath, “I don't want to do this here.”

 

He sighed, “We're not doing anything.”

 

“Bullshit,” Nel smiled and opened her eyes. She found herself looking into pale green ones. She drew back from him. “Hi.”

 

“Hi,” he murmured. Bazz brought his hands up and cupped her face. “I don't want to take you to a love hotel. I don't want to take you to my house in Nikko either.”

 

“Okay. You can just—”

 

His lips quieted her words. “Shhh,” he whispered, against her mouth. “I have an apartment in Tokyo.”

 

“Tokyo?”

 

“It's the closest place I have. If we go to the house in Nikko, my brother will be there,” Bazz explained.

 

“That's a three-hour drive, Bazz.” Nel looked down at her lap. She couldn't fathom she was contemplating this. She couldn't believe she was considering it. There was a bad feeling in her chest. As soon as he saw her body, he'd probably tell her to leave.

 

No one wanted a pregnant woman.

 

“I can wait if you can.”

 

What an upstanding woman she was, sitting there; kissing and letting a practical stranger undress her. He was almost a stranger. “You barely know me.”

 

“I know I want you.”

 

She gasped. “You—You—”

 

“Yes, I do,” he replied. He pushed his hips up and into her. Her breath caught in her throat. It was hard to miss the erection laying against his thigh and restricted by his pants. “You can't tell me you've not noticed it.”

 

Was he asking for a one night stand?

 

“Nel, something is bothering you,” Bazz told her. He lifted her chin up so she had to look at him.

 

Nel's eyes darted away from his face. “You're not going to want me Bazz,” she offered. “You're not going to—I—I'm...”

 

“Nelliel.” It was soft but firm. He took her chin between his fingers. “I would never bullshit you. I will never sugar coat anything for you. If I think you're trying to do that to me, I will call you out on it. What is bothering you?”

 

“I don't want to be a one night stand. I don't want to give in to you, only to never see you again,” she said, her voice faltering on the last word. She sounded so weak. She sounded like she was helpless. She had never sounded this way with Grimmjow. It confused her. Wasn't she supposed to be a bad-ass, tattooed bitch?

 

His mouth hovered fraction of an inch from hers. Bazz kissed her in an unhurried and tender manner. “Nel, ever since I read that article on you in that Nikko culture magazine, I've wanted you,” he revealed.

 

“I was a different person back then, Bazz,” she stated. So much had happened between that magazine being published and now. Orihime was pregnant at the time of that article. Ulquiorra got shot. Orihime lost the baby. Grimmjow fucked the redhead. Ulquiorra came back... The memories went on and on.

 

Sometimes memories were the worst form of torture. Nel closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

 

Bazz seemed to notice her change in mood. “Would you like me to take you home?” he asked.

 

The teal-haired woman nodded. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Don't apologize,” he insisted. Nel felt him reach around her and fasten the strap of her bra again. Bazz then pulled her dress back over her shoulders. “I'll be back this week sometime to get more work done, Miss Tu. Maybe you can clear your schedule for a weekend?”

 

Nel didn't say anything as his hand went from her neck and moved down her breast then her waist. If he felt the slight swell there Bazz said nothing. When she was decent, they kissed again and then Nel crawled back over to the passenger side of the vehicle.

 

The drive to her house was quiet. Bazz had turned the radio on and an orchestral piece played with people singing a hymn over what sounded like a saxophone. Maybe it was a trumpet. Nel had never been good at discerning musical instruments.

 

When he parked the car beside Grimmjow's car, Bazz turned and looked at her. “I want to spend more time with you, Nel.”

 

She nodded and blushed as he kissed the back of her hand. Nel got out of the car and walked to the front door. She was not aware of the shit storm that awaited her just inside.

 

* * *

 

When Ulquiorra walked into the house he made a beeline for Nel's room right after he took his shoes off. She wasn't there. He texted her. It went unanswered. He called her. It went to voicemail.

 

He retreated to his own room, stowing his bag on the bed. He unzipped it, retrieving another bag that was inside and then went to the kitchen. Grimmjow was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. Ulquiorra's eyebrows raised up at that. Grimmjow never drank anything but beer and water.

 

“Nel's not here, but you probably know that,” Grimmjow said, eyeing the small man. Ulquiorra nodded. He had stopped by the convenience store and gotten several onigiris to eat that night before coming home. “She's on a date.”

 

The white paper bag he was carrying, dropped to the floor. Ulquiorra turned around and looked at Grimmjow.

 

“A what?”

 

“A date,” he repeated.

 

“Like as in with someone else? Who?”

 

Grimmjow chuckled. “Orihime's at university still. Has a late study group session with some of the people in one of her classes. They had to move the time slot to later because of another class.”

 

“Okay,” Ulquiorra said. He didn't really care about the redhead at that moment. “Who is Nel with?”

 

“Bazz.”

 

Ulquiorra frowned. Nel had told him that Bazz was only a friend. He was a stupid idiot who gave her comic relief. He turned from Grimmjow and picked up his dinner. “Bazz? I've read their text messages, at least what she's shown me. There's nothing going on between them.”

 

“Ulq, when's the last time Nel wore a skirt or a dress?”

 

The dark-haired man growled softly as he went to the table. Forget the fucking plate and chopsticks. He didn't fucking need them at the moment. His ire was raised because Grimmjow was being a stupid dumb ass.

 

The blue-haired man hadn't pronounced his name right. He said Nel was wearing something she would never wear. He was saying Nel was out on a date, a romantic date. It was absurd.

 

“There are also two condoms missing out of a brand new box I found in her dresser. I bought that box before we moved in here. One was used when we had that foursome. The other is gone unless you two used it,” Grimmjow commented.

 

“Do you always have to ruin my appetite? Like seriously, you do it all the time. You're talking about shit that you're speculating,” Ulquiorra said before running his hands through his hair. He knew about that box of condoms. Nel never said he had to use condoms and it was silly to think that he could knock her up since she was already pregnant. It had been a safety net.

 

But they hadn't used them. He fucked her bare. He came in her. He knew what Orihime felt like against him. He also knew what Nel felt like as he slid into her multiple times a night. Ulquiorra had to swallow to keep his desire in check.

 

“You look uncomfortable, Ulq.”

 

“Fuck off, Grimmjow.”

 

The tall man stood and chuckled as he walked across the dining area into the kitchen and reached the door that led into the bedroom. “If you want to take care of the problem between your legs, you know where to find me.”

 

“Go to hell.”

 

He sat at the table and picked at the rice balls. When Grimmjow left to get Orihime from the train station, Ulquiorra remained there until the two returned and went into the bedroom. The green-eyed man didn't want to hear them fucking so he took up station in the dark entrance hall. He saw it was almost one in the morning when the red sports car pulled into the driveway.

 

He saw Bazz kiss her hand.

  
  
He saw what she looked like as she got out of the car.

 

Jealousy was a horrible thing.

 

* * *

 

When Nel opened that door, he flicked on the light. She turned and gasped as she saw him then visibly calmed down. “It's you,” she said, leaning against the door after she closed it to take off her boot. She slipped off the ankle sock also then proceeded to do the same to the other foot.

 

“Did you spend that entire date with crooked buttons and your hair looking like a rat's nest? Or your lipstick staining your mouth?” Ulquiorra said in a flat voice.

 

“What?” Nel looked panic as she looked down at herself. There was indeed a button that was crooked. Had Bazz messed up her hair? She ran a hand through it to find out it was tangled. Shit.

 

The lipgloss she had bought wasn't supposed to stain but Nel found herself walking to the bathroom beside Ulquiorra's room and staring at herself in the mirror.

 

Holy hell.

 

She was going to _kill_ Bazzard Black.

 

Her eyes still had a wild-please-fuck-me look to them. She even smelled like him. His expensive cologne was attached to her jacket and dress.

 

“Was he worth it?”

 

“What?” Nel was slightly dazed. She turned to find the dark-haired man standing in the bathroom doorway.

 

“I asked if Bazz was worth it? Is this why you wouldn't or couldn't answer me the other day when I asked what we were?” Ulquiorra questioned.

 

Nel sighed and rolled her eyes. This is exactly why she went out with Bazz. There were two men in this house that were absolute brats. Bazz was the furthest thing from complicated. “We aren't anything except roommates. We're friends with benefits. I wasn't trying to be your girlfriend, Ulquiorra.”

 

“Nel, you can't tell me that. You can't stand there after you let another guy fuck you and say that I'm nothing to you,” he muttered.

 

She opened her mouth to correct him but she stopped herself. Nel didn't have to explain herself. She walked past Ulquiorra and down the hall to her room. Sliding the screens open and shut, she took off the jacket and hung it in the closet. She was in the process of taking the dress off when she heard the outer screen open.

 

“I didn't say you could come in,” Nel called out.

 

The last button was loose and the dress fell off her body, falling to a puddle at her feet. The inside screen opened. Nel turned around and found Grimmjow standing in her room. The screen slid closed again.

 

“Nice,” he said. “You let that asshole see your best underwear. I'm not surprised you'd pick that set. I bought it for you but you never wore it for me.”

 

“Get out.”

 

“Nope,” he replied. “We are going to talk like adults.”

 

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest with the nude lace bra covering her breasts. Nel still felt naked under his gaze. “Can you at least leave while I get changed?”

 

“I've seen everything Nel. I've had you on my dick,” Grimmjow said, still staring at her body. “Quit bitching and get changed.”

 

Nel blushed at his words and watched as he walked over to her bed. Grimmjow sat down like he owned the place. She turned from him and quickly stripped off the lace underwear and bra.

 

“Damn.”

 

She heard him. Glancing over her shoulder, Nel saw his blue eyes locked onto her body. She had seen that look probably a million times over the years of their friendship and relationship. She hadn't understood what it was when she was younger. She knew what it was now.

 

Nel could give into him but it would spoil the night of fun she just had. Nope, she wasn't going to do this. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's orgasms came with strings, baggage, unhappy memories and free guilt trips.

 

“You know Ulq is mad, right?”

 

“I can't help that,” she said, squatting down and opening the bottom drawer of her dresser. Nel pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was another one of Grimmjow's shirts. She stood looking at the wall so her profile was to the man. “He's the one that gets ideas in his head.”

 

“Nel.”

 

“What?”

 

“Put your damn clothes on.”

 

“This wouldn't be a problem had you not came in here.”

 

She turned her back to Grimmjow. She heard the wooden bed creak and the shuffling of his feet against the tatami mat. His arms were around her, one hand across her naked breast; the other stretched over her slightly rounded lower abdomen. Grimmjow buried his face where her neck met her shoulder.

 

Maybe it was because she was so keyed up after the date, Nel didn't push him away at first. When the hand that was on her tit disappeared and went between their bodies, that was a warning. The rustling of the track pants was another.

 

Then she felt his dick against nestled against her ass. It was hot against her skin. “Grimmjow, this is not talking.”

 

“Don't want to talk. I want to fuck you,” he groaned against her neck. The hand on her stomach was going lower.

 

“No.” Panic started rising in Nel's throat and it sounded in her voice. The flashes of memories were slow to form. The fingers brushed over her nether lips.

 

“Nel.”

 

“No,” she repeated. Her chest was heaving now. The memories of Nnoitra forcing her to do things hit her brain and she couldn't breathe.

 

“Shhhh, calm down. I'm sorry. Look, I'm gonna stop. I'm gonna let you go, Nelliel,” Grimmjow said. He did as he said and turned from her.

 

Her ears faintly picked up the rustling again. Grimmjow was probably making himself decent. It still felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She faintly registered that Grimmjow was now dressing her until the t-shirt was pulled over her head.

 

“Breath,” he coaxed. His eyes stared into hers. He was worried. “Inhale, exhale.”

 

The slap of her hand against his face was a smart crack. His face flew to the side. Anger spread over Nel's brain. It was the only way to erase the dead man from her thoughts.

 

“I deserved that. I'm sorry. I apologize,” he said looking away from her.

 

“Out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karmina – All The King's Horses  
> The Frames - Seven Day Mile  
> A Fine Frenzy – Almost Lover  
> Tool – Sober  
> Akon – Sorry  
> Sleeping With Sirens – Already Gone  
> Finley Quaye - Dice  
> Dido – White Flag (Colin McLoughlin Remix)  
> Arie Dixson - Fuck The Other Side  
> He is We - I Wouldn't Mind  
> Poets of the Fall – Nothing Stays the Same  
> Straylight Run – Existentialism On Prom Night


	13. And Babies Make Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Houston, we have babies! Orihime tries to apologize. Nel finds out what she's having and reveals her single status to Bazz. Grimmjow invites people to see his band play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> So I finally named Grimmjow's band... LOL... I took the name from my Guitar Hero band. Shut up, I'm a gamer. I play Guitar Hero on PS2 still. The band members are Zommari Rureaux, Aaroniero (AKA Aaron) and Dordoni.
> 
> Some sexual mentions in this chapter. Mostly Bazz being a pervert.
> 
> ALSO, I'm making covers for each fic by drawing them... I've got to keep my mind off things

Orihime was sitting at the pregnancy clinic with Nel. They both had an appointment that day. Grimmjow had allowed Nel to use his car only because Orihime had an appointment too. He had told her that much. Ulquiorra wanted to come but decided not to when he found out Nel was going. There'd been some tension between those two for about two weeks now.

 

Grimmjow alluded that it had been because Nel went out on a date with some guy. Ulquiorra was now the odd man out. Nel didn't bring the guy inside the house but she often came home late when she had a couple of days off.

 

Orihime felt like they all needed to talk again soon. She and Nel still weren't on speaking terms. They mostly asked questions when the men couldn't answer.

 

“ _Does Pantera have food?”_

 

“ _Is that milk expired?”_

 

“ _Do you know where that thing is?”_

 

That's why they needed to sit down. Things weren't working out again. It was making everyone moody and horrible to each other. So the redhead decided to try again.

 

She asked Nel on the way over to the clinic, “Can I come in with you?”

 

Nel gave her a side glance, “Why?”

 

“I'm curious about the process.”

 

“No,” Nel replied. “You can experience it all when you find out.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

The teal-haired woman scoffed as she pulled into a parking space. Nel turned off the car and then looked at Orihime. “A sorry isn't gonna fix what you did, Orihime. Sorry doesn't fix my four-year relationship with Grimm that you wormed your way into. Sorry doesn't heal the broken heart you gave to my friend. Sorry doesn't fix the fact you betrayed me.”

 

Without another word, Nel grabbed her bag and left the car. Orihime sat there for a couple of seconds before she scurried after the taller woman. Her face was on fire and she didn't look at anyone as she checked into her appointment.

 

She heard, “Miss Tu?”

 

Only then did Orihime raise her head to watch Nel walk away with a nurse. She wished that she could do something to fix all of this.

 

* * *

 

Nel studied the images on the screen as they flicked through the grainy static. The ultrasound tech didn't say much until she was done measuring things.

 

“Okay, there's the baby's face,” the woman said.

 

Nel saw what vaguely resembled a skeletal outline of a face. It looked weird. She was shown a hand, leg, and a tiny foot.

 

“Did you want to know what you're having?”

 

The teal-haired woman laying on the table bit her lip. Did she want to know? Would it matter if she knew? It's not like she had expectations for this. She didn't know if Grimmjow wanted a girl or a boy. Finally, Nel said, “Sure, why not?”

 

“Okay, then!” the tech nodded. “Let's take a look!”

 

The wand swirled the goopy gel across her stomach and the static was back as the device moved over her skin. “Oh, this one is quick!”

 

“Huh?” Nel said as she felt her stomach flip-flop.

 

“The fetus just turned. Did you not feel it?”

 

“That's what that is?” Nel asked. She felt flutters, flip-flops, and bumps inside her body but she figured it was gas or something else.

 

“Oh! I think I got it!” The technician smiled. The woman pressed a button on the keyboard that stopped the feed. The woman smiled. “Okay, so this is a leg. This is the labia and then another leg.”

 

Labia? Huh? Nel's confusion must have been evident on her face.

 

The other woman patted her hand. “It looks like you're having a girl, Miss Tu.”

 

“What now?”

 

“It's a girl!”

 

The tech took time to print out some of the images she had gotten and then Nel was allowed to wipe her stomach off. She was handed the printouts then shown into an exam room.

 

Her weight was good. Nel hadn't gained anything nor had she lost weight. Her blood pressure was high but she wrote that off because the idiots she lived with. The atmosphere had been further strained since the incident with Grimmjow.

 

Nel was stupid not to notice his glances. She saw him stare. She'd seen him in his room jerking off. The woman heard him screwing Orihime, making her scream. Nel had to wonder if it was pain or pleasure. He had scared her. She knew what he wanted though and only because he was sending her signals only a blind man could have missed...

 

Grimmjow wanted Nel.

 

The nurse left the room, leaving Nel lost in her thoughts. Her phone dinged. She dug it out of her bag and sighed at the notification. Grimmjow had texted her.

 

_\- My band has a gig tonight. I need ya to be there. 9 P.M._

 

Why would Grimmjow need her to be there? She had seen the band play so many times. They could have made it big but something was always holding them back.

 

Zomari going to school and his wife having a kid. Aaron's disfiguring accident and surgery. Dordoni's run-in with the law. Grimmjow's home issues.

 

Should she even respond? Before she could sigh at the thought, another text made her phone ding again. Bazzard.

 

_\- Busy?_

 

Nel gave a snort. It depended. Yeah, she was busy at the moment. Was she busy for another night filled with sexually fueled tension and glances? Never.

 

Her fingers tapped out a reply: _At the doctors._

 

_\- You okay?_

 

Nel bit her lip. It'd been almost three weeks since the incident in the car. They never talked about it. She remembered seducing Grimmjow. She kissed him and he watched her undress. The blue-haired man made it clear from the moment he entered her, that he was in charge and in control. Nel was submissive to him only in bed, though. The moment they left that bedroom, she'd questioned and challenged him.

 

If it had been Nnoitra, he would have beaten Nel for trying to go against him or questioning his word. The dead man had made it crystal-fucking-clear that his word was law. Ulquiorra was definitely a dominant partner. Try to hold him back or down and suddenly he gained superhuman strength, speed, and stamina.

 

The more she thought about it, the more Nel wanted it to go farther. What would Bazz be like?

 

_\- Yeah, I'm mostly okay._

 

She put the phone down on her leg and waited. There was no way Nel was going to tell Bazz the real reason she was at the doctor or the fact that she was pregnant. He would most likely find out eventually but she could wish that it would never come out.

 

_\- Mostly? You sick?_

 

_\- Nah, Checkup. The doctor says I'm crazy though._

 

_\- LOL. Free this weekend?_

 

Nel sighed. Free this weekend? That would make it the third time he'd asked her that question. He wanted to take her to his apartment in Tokyo. He'd promised her fun with no expectations or strings. If she didn't like it, all she had to do was tell Bazz to take her home.

 

_\- Visiting parents this weekend._

 

Nel quickly tapped out another message to make it seem like she wasn't blowing him off.

 

_\- Want to hang out tonight?_

 

Was she inviting him to Grimmjow's gig?

 

_\- That's my line, Lady. Would love to. Will drop by Candy Ink later._

 

A shiver went through her; the kind that made the area between her legs pulse and made her squirm trying to get rid of the feeling. No one had ever made her anticipate their visit, except for the man with the mohawk.

 

The door opened and Nel slid the phone back into her bag as the doctor walked in with the nurse. Nel would have time to fantasize later.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra was currently on the phone with the car dealership, finalizing plans to purchase his first vehicle. He figured with both women in the house being pregnant, having a second vehicle would come in handy. Someone always needed a ride.

 

Eventually, once everyone went their own way, Ulquiorra would keep the car, sell the house and go somewhere far away from everyone.

 

Like to Hell.

 

He sighed. Now was not the time to be thinking dark thoughts. He had to focus on how much the guy on the other end of the line was trying to screw him for.

 

When the call was over he set the device on the desk where he kept his art supplies while at work. Two texts had come in while he was on the phone. One from Grimmjow and the other from Orihime.

 

Grimmjow's message had been sent to him and the redhead. It just stated there was a gig tonight and the time to be there. It was an order, not really an invitation. The blue-haired man didn't tell them to come to gigs anymore. Well, not as often.

  
  
When they were first starting out, Ulquiorra tried to listen to the group every chance he got. Over the years, the invites tapered off to special occasions. He texted back a confirmation that he would be there.

 

The next message popped onto the screen was from the redhead. Orihime wanted him to call her. Ulquiorra didn't feel like talking to her but he knew she had a doctor's visit that morning. She'd registered the pregnancy and the dark-haired man gave her money for the appointment.

 

She had protested but Ulquiorra had been insistent about it. After all, this was most likely his kid. With reluctance, he tapped her number.

 

“Hello?” she answered.

 

“You wanted me to call?” He asked in a monotone voice. He wanted to know why she wanted to talk.

 

“Did you want the results?”

 

Ulquiorra pinched the bridge of his nose, pressing hard against the skin and bone. “I'm at work. Can it wait? Where are you?”

 

“Nel dropped me off at home. She's gonna leave the car at Grimmjow's workshop then walk to Candy Ink,” Orihime chirped. It was just like old times with her going on about something. Then her tone got serious. “It can wait. It would probably be better if I told you to your face.”

 

The dark-haired man couldn't help but worry what those words meant. “Is it bad?”

 

“No,” she replied. Her tone was soft.

 

He knew that when she used that tone, she was happy. She sounded happy. Ulquiorra couldn't get his hopes up. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle the potential heartbreak this time.

 

“Are you going to Grimmjow's gig?”

 

“Yeah,” she replied.

 

Ulquiorra couldn't help but give a small smile. “Can we talk then? I have a client I have to get ready for,” he said.

 

Her words burned into his brain. She said she couldn't wait and then he hung up.

 

* * *

 

Bazz gazed at the teal-haired woman as she closed the door to her office. He had to swallow hard because she looked damn good. Those leggings with the loose t-shirt and the long open sweater. Her clothes were a hiding a present from him that he wanted to unwrap. The huge smile on her face helped a lot too.

 

“For once you don't look unhappy,” he commented. Bazz walked towards her and the blush on her nose bloomed. It was faint, but it was there.

 

Nel ducked her head and looked at the floor. He could tell she was embarrassed. Once he reached her, he put his hands flat against the door on either side of her shoulders.

 

“Hey,” he said. She didn't look up and Bazz had to lean down and nuzzle her face with his. The touch was light and brief but it was enough to get her to respond. As soon as her face tilted towards him, he brushed his mouth against hers.

 

A small moan escaped from her throat. He pulled away with a grin. That surprised him; her reaction was—well, he didn't know what it was at the moment but it went straight to his groin. “What was that?” he murmured against her ear.

 

“I-I-I don't know.”

 

Bazz licked his lips. He wanted to touch her. He settled for another light kiss. Nel was the one who pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was so soft. She smelled wonderful, he thought as he moved his mouth toward her ear.

 

Of course, she was protesting the action with little whines but she grew quiet as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin below it before he licked the outer lobe gently.

 

Desire was setting in like a moth to a flame. If he didn't stop, someone was going to get burned. They hadn't talked about what happened after the movie, in his car. This moment right now was several weeks of pent-up sexual frustration coming to a peak.

 

He would never admit to watching the security camera feed trained in her room. Bazz would stare as she stripped naked and crawl under her blanket. Someone times she'd open a drawer of the dresser, get something out and then crawl on top of the blanket.

 

Bazz's green eyes would never flicker as he took in the sight of Nel fucking herself with either a dildo or a vibrator. Sometimes he would see her snake a hand between her legs too. She had to be playing with her clit. That was Bazz's guess because Nel would turn her face into a pillow and her body would shake.

 

He'd come quickly after that. He'd gotten really good at jerking himself off.

 

If Nel used the dildo/vibrator, she'd drop it to the floor, then get into bed. If it was just the hands, she'd roll over onto her stomach and hike one leg up and over another pillow. Bazz could imagine what she looked like under the covers.

 

But reality hit him square in the face. Bazz didn't want to do this here. He had his own plans for enjoying every inch of her. He pulled back, looking down at her. Nel tried to follow him. Even with those fuck me boots on, she was still too short to reach his mouth. “We're at your place of work,” he said. “You also have a boyfriend.”

 

“And?” She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “We're not doing anything.”

 

The way she said that made his dick harden more. This woman knew how to drive a man crazy in the best way possible; using his own fucking words against him in a seemingly innocent way. Nel Tu was going to destroy all the resolve he had. The months of waiting, watching and wanting would be over in minutes if he gave into her. Not how he had planned.

 

“ _Come_ with me this weekend,” he groaned as she pushed her hips into him. She said nothing as her hands moved from his neck and down his chest to the top of his jeans.

 

Shit! He had to stop her or else he was going to be so deep in her with no fucking excuses. Bazz intertwined their fingers together. “Please?”

 

Now she looked fucking unhappy. It was his fault though.

 

“I can't, Bazz. I've got something really important to do and I can't put it off any longer,” Nel replied. “And I don't have a boyfriend anymore.”

 

This news took him by surprise. What the fuck did she mean that she didn't have a boyfriend anymore? Had they broke it off? His groin pulsed at the thought that she was going to be his soon. “Next weekend then. I kind of figured about the boyfriend thing when you let me molest you in my car.”

 

She huffed. “Why can't we go to my house or yours for an hour?”

 

Nel had some balls, Bazz was impressed. He gave her a grin. “Baby, I am a delicacy to be enjoyed, not quickly consumed.”

 

Just like that the tension was broken. “Besides, we both have roommates that neither of us wants to deal with.”

 

“Ugh.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

 

Bazz sighed. “I promise, Nel. Just one weekend in Tokyo with me. We don't have to do anything. We can sit around and watch movies or stare at each other.”

 

“No expectations?”

 

“None.”

 

Her face came into his view and she had a cute pout on her face. “You're going to make me wait a week?”

 

“Nel,” he said. This woman was gonna be the death of him. “You wanna go right now?”

 

“I can't—”

 

“You've got clients.”

 

“I also need to see my parents and tonight—Oh!”

 

“Eureka.”

 

“Tonight!”

 

“Yeah, you said you wanted to hang out,” Bazz commented. He was kind of bummed that she couldn't or wouldn't rearrange her schedule for him but he understood it completely.

 

“Do you want to go see a band?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mazzy Star – Into Dust  
> The Wallflowers – One Headlight  
> James Morrison - Broken Strings Ft. Nelly Furtado  
> The Smashing Pumpkins - In the Arms Of Sleep  
> J. Holiday - Bed  
> Josh Kelley - Everybody Wants You  
> H.E.R. - I Won't  
> ZAYN - From Dusk Til Dawn


	14. Songs Our Hearts Sing Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow invites his roommates to a special gig but Nel ends up bringing Bazz. The two men get into a squabble. Nel leaves the bar and agrees to something. Ulquiorra gets some great news and buys himself a car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> A touch of Ulquihime

Grimmjow was nervous. Sure, he sang backup vocals when needed. That one time he sang to Nel on their anniversary in front of people. Tonight, he was doing an entire set. Eight fucking songs.

 

Zommari said they needed something new and different. Grimmjow was forced into picking the music. The blue-haired man thought Zom just wanted to be behind the drums again.

 

When the four of them joined together, Grimmjow was in his eleventh year of school. Zom at the time was in his early twenties and married. Aaron was twenty-one with the penchant to drink and drive. Dordoni was twenty-five and always in trouble.

 

Grimmjow had answered an ad for a singer. He didn't know what to expect. They asked him questions.

 

“You just sing?” the black man asked. He had a deep bass voice that had an almost robotic twinge to it.

 

“Nah, don't sing much but I can play the drums,” Grimmjow replied.

 

“We're looking for a singer, not a drummer,” said a Spanish man with a carefully sculpted mustache and goatee.

 

“We will witness his skills Dor. My arms are getting torn up by the drumming.”

 

“It's because you practice too much.”

 

“Dor, knock it off,” said the third man.

 

The black man told him to pick a song. He was to sing and play the drumline. “'Kay, I guess I'll do Queen's Don't Stop Me Now.”

 

The three older men looked at each other and shrugged. Once he was done, they were speechless.

 

“How old are you kid?”

 

“Almost seventeen,” Grimmjow replied.

 

The nameless dirty blond guy spoke up. “Shit, he's not even old enough to get into the bar.”

 

“You're hired,” the black man said.

 

They'd sing covers of different songs from various artist and genres, every week in the same bar for the past five or six years. As they got more popular they named themselves Vapor Atrophy. It'd been Aaron's idea. Once they did some advertising the bar was packed every week with new fans. Women were constantly flirting with the men. Drinks would flow. Until Grimmjow became monogamous with Nel, he had a sea of pussy and women to swim in.

 

Nel.

 

Fuck, he'd been stupid and sent her an invitation. He'd been preparing for this for months and then they broke up. Grimmjow had to pick several new songs. He kept the other five, only because he felt they were fitting and he liked them.

 

He looked down at his list and sighed. This wouldn't be enough to get Nel back but it was a start.

 

The blue-haired man gotten confirmation from Orihime and Ulquiorra. The dark-haired man said he would escort Grimmjow's girlfriend to the place. Grimmjow didn't have time to go from work to home, shower, then go to the last minute band meeting the return home to pick the redhead up.

 

He would be going from his workshop to Zommari's apartment. There he would take a shower.

 

The meeting went as usual. There was a one hour set, intermission and then Grimmjow would be closing out the show. Zom went over the set list. He asked if there were any changes or complaints. No one ever had any. Grimmjow got cleaned up and exited the bathroom in a fresh pair of well-worn jeans and a clean t-shirt.

 

Aaron and Dordoni must have already left to get things set up. Zom was sitting on his couch. The man hadn't been the same since his wife left.

 

The woman had met someone online and left with their daughter, flying to Australia.

 

“You going to be alright tonight?” Zommari asked, looking up at him.

 

Grimmjow nodded. “Yeah, man. You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied.

 

“You want a ride?”

 

“No, I'll walk.”

 

Everyone was at the bar by eight thirty. He saw Ulquiorra and Orihime walk in. He nodded at the dark-haired man and then kissed the redhead on the cheek. He couldn't let himself become too aroused. He had to charm a crowd tonight.

 

“Any of you talk to Nel today?”

 

A pair of heads shook.

 

“Why?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

“I accidentally sent the invite to her,” Grimmjow answered, knowing fully well that what he said was a life. He was covering his ass. “She never answered it.”

 

“Nel seemed preoccupied after her appointment,” Orihime said.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mmhmm,” the redhead answered. “She was really happy.”

 

Nel was happy, was she? Grimmjow frowned deeply. He looked at the clock on the wall; ten minutes until show time. Before the gig started, Grimmjow got himself a beer and a bottle of water from the bar. He took a swig of the cold alcohol and then set the bottle of beer beside the drum set. Zom walked onto the stage.

 

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen! We are Vapor Atrophy!” the black man said into the microphone. The crowd packed into the place cheered and applauded. It was loud. “Some of you older folks might recognize this song...”

 

It was forty-five minutes into the set that Grimmjow noticed Nel. She was sitting with Ulquiorra and Orihime but she was sitting on someone's lap. The owner of the lap tilted their head to look at Nel and the blue-haired man glared and almost missed a beat, faltering for a fraction of a second.

 

Nel was sitting on Bazz Black's lap.

 

He had to concentrate. He couldn't fuck this up. Grimmjow sighed once they finished the song and he called Zommari over. The lead singer raised an eyebrow.

 

“What Grimmjow?”

 

“I don't know—”

 

“Grimm,” Zom scolded him like he was a child who was in trouble. “You can do this. We have two more songs to do then you can go to the bathroom and throw your stage fright in the toilet during the intermission.”

 

“It's not fucking stage fright,” he complained. Zom knew about the situation between him and Nel. “She's here. She brought someone with her.”

 

“You gotta do your best then,” Zom said and walked away. Grimmjow took another swig of beer. “We're gonna play one more song and then take a break. This is I Write Sins...”

 

Grimmjow couldn't help look over at the table to see Bazz talking to the people at the table. Orihime and Nel were both laughing, even Ulquiorra had a slight smile on his face. Anger burned through him. Somehow, he got through the song, even with having to sing his part.

 

As soon as Zom said they would be back, Grimmjow made a beeline for the table. He sneered at the red-haired man before pulling Orihime up and kissing her full on the lips. The young woman squeaked and a blush spread across her face as he pulled away from her.

 

“Thank you for coming, Princess,” he said and then looked at Ulquiorra.

 

“If you kiss me, I'm gonna rip your arm off and beat you with it,” the dark-haired man stated.

 

This made Grimmjow laugh and grin. He then turned to Nel. “What are you doing here?” he asked. Yeah, Grimmjow was gonna be the bad guy and humiliate her. He was hurt she had brought _him_ along.

 

The teal-haired woman scoffed. “You invited me,” she answered. “Dumb ass.”

 

“Tch,” he retorted. His eyes glanced at her. Nel had on a dress again, this one shorter than the last one. It was some dark color but the white leather jacket she was wearing was new. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't even her jacket. It was _Bazz's_ jacket. Venom laced his voice, “Must have sent _yours_ by accident. Why don't you go home?”

 

He could see Nel was somewhat wounded by his words. She stood and grabbed the small purse off the table. Grimmjow watched her turn to leave but Bazz stopped her.

 

The mohawked man stood up. They were finally eye to eye which caused Grimmjow's mouth to form into a feral grin. The people at the table were probably holding their breaths.

 

“Nel, came out to support you. She brought me along because she wanted me to hear this awesome band,” Bazz remarked. “We are going to stay and finish watching the show.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“You got a problem with me, Smurfette?” Bazz asked stepping closer to Grimmjow.

 

Yes! This was what Grimmjow was waiting for. “Lick my balls, Elmo.”

 

“Sorry, _Sweetie_ , blue isn't my color.”

 

Grimmjow was going to say a string of obscenities and then swing but he was being dragged away. Zommari had a hold of his bicep. “What the hell?”

 

The other man said nothing until they were in the small room used for a dressing area. Zom finally released him go and spoke. “You need to get your head out of your ass, Grimmjow. Focus,” he said. “You are doing this for what?”

 

“To show Nel I care. To show her I'm willing to work this out with her,” Grimmjow answered.

 

“And?”

 

“Come on Zom!”

 

“I'm waiting,” the black man said. “And it's Doctor Zommari to you.”

 

“Bullshit, you're not a shrink yet,” the blue-haired man said.

 

“Another year and I'll be one,” Zommari replied. “And?”

 

Grimmjow sighed and glared. “And I'm showing her that I'm sorry for pushing her away.”

 

Zom put his hands on Grimmjow's shoulders. “You can do this. Focus. Drink your beer. Five minutes and I want you out there. I want you to be your charming self.”

 

The bottle was put into his hands along with the water. Zom turned and started out of the room. Grimmjow looked at the man's back and thought about how much Zom had helped him with everything since Ulquiorra had gotten shot. The man's help had gone further than that. He'd helped out a lot after Nnoitra's death. Grimmjow didn't like talking about it though.

 

He didn't want anyone to think of him as weak because he needed some advice... Once in a while... Okay, more like once a week. Zommari was a really wise dude. Probably why he spent most of his days studying to become a psychiatrist.

 

“Hey Zom?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I'm gonna do one song acapella, okay?”

 

* * *

 

The bar was quiet as the band took to the stage again. Nel expected to see Grimmjow behind the drumset again but he was standing in front of the mic this time. Her breath caught in her throat.

 

He was going to sing.

 

People were applauding as they members of the group warmed up again, strumming the guitar and bass. The drumset gave a couple of deep thumps. This was a routine to get Grimmjow to open up. As usual, the blue-haired man grinned and then turned around to say, “Whenever you're all done.”

 

The crowd laughed.

 

“Welcome back, ladies and gents. I am Grimmjow! We are Vapor Atrophy!” The crowd cheered. “Zom, the one who usually murders eardrums, decided to let me have the pleasure as we close out our set. This first song is a nod to one of my best friends.”

 

The acoustic guitar started playing and Grimmjow's mouth opened. His rich deep voice was wrought with emotion that Nel couldn't place. It seemed like he wasn't singing to any best friend, but to her. He was staring straight at her. Once he was done with the song, he smiled and grinned. As people clapped and whistled. The band launched into the next song without any explanation.

 

Nel listened to the words. She was aware that Bazz was shifting under her. His strong chest pressed against her back. His mouth was close to her ear and she heard the words he whispered.

 

“I'm supposed to sit here while he sings love songs and undresses you with his eyes?” he asked her.

 

“He's not doing that,” Nel answered quietly. But he was doing just that. He was singing love songs to her. Grimmjow knew that she loved hearing his voice. On one of their early "friendship" dates, he sang to her under a cherry tree. He told her the song was one of his favorites. Under that rough, wrong side of the tracks, bad ass exterior, Grimmjow was romantic. He had a heart full of love and grand gestures of affection. It took Nel a while to get used to it.

 

She had taken Grimmjow's flirting, just like she had taken Bazz's, with a grain of salt. It wasn't until that fateful night while they were watching some stupid movie, she realized she wanted to know what he felt like. She wanted to know why he was looking at her like he did. The same thing had happened with Nnoitra. She wanted to know what it felt like to be destroyed by him. Ulquiorra, she'd been curious about the so-called sex monster with the ability to go through a box of condoms a night.

 

Curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity took her virginity. Curiosity would most likely be the reason she would sleep with Bazz. Nel felt him shift again. She made a move to stand up but he held her hips tightly against him.

 

“Nel,” he said to her.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” he said before his mouth kissed the skin of her neck and Nel glanced around. No one was watching them. Everyone was focused on Grimmjow. He was staring at her and the man who was molesting her neck.

 

Nel's thoughts were racing as the band finished another song. One of Bazz's hands dropped to her thigh the fingers plucking at the material of the dress she wore. He was rubbing her leg, probably trying to ease her anxiety. The men were putting down their instruments and sitting down on the stools. A single spotlight fell on the blue-haired man.

 

Grimmjow looked uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. “This next song is for someone special in my life. I’m glad we were brought together. This is called Why I'm Home.”

 

The scale suddenly tipped. Nel couldn’t hear anymore. That was the song. Suddenly, she didn’t want to listen to any more of Grimmjow's bullshit. “I want to go,” Nel whispered. She turned to face Bazz. “I want to leave.”

 

“You sure?” He asked and let go of her.

 

Nel stood and started walking towards the door of the bar. She felt Bazz right behind her. She heard Grimmjow's voice waver then get louder.

 

The night was cold as she burst through the door. As soon as they made it to Bazz's car, Nel spun around and was on him, her lips seeking his out.

 

“Nel,” he murmured.

  

“What?”

 

“We’re in public. If you continue this, then you're going to have to deal with some of the unexpected realities,” Bazz said, pressing her into the chilly metal.

 

“Like?”

 

“My house, my brother. Your house, your roommates, and ex. My car, the public.”

 

Nel gave a small whine which escaped her throat. His words brought her crashing down to earth. Bazz was right. He was always right about things. She pressed her face into his neck. His arms wrapped around her. “Pick me up Saturday night,” she said.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra never got to talk to Orihime while at Grimmjow's gig. After Nel left, Grimmjow looked defeated. Orihime looked broken. The silence in the car was unbearable on the way home.

 

Grimmjow said nothing as he went into the house then turned toward his personal room. Orihime walked down to the big bedroom. He was left standing in the entrance hall. with a sigh, he left his shoes on and walked across the floor, opening one of the many doors that led to the back garden.

 

It was cold outside but what had he expected; it was almost November. Soon, the snow would start; temperatures would plummet lower. He hunched in his coat and looked at the dead vegetation of the garden then up at the dark sky.

 

Everything was rapidly going to shit.

 

It was all of his fault too.

 

He should have accepted that Orihime had moved on. He should have never challenged Grimmjow. He should have never come back. One of the doors behind him opened. He turned his head slightly and Ulquiorra saw copper. A sigh left him.

 

“Go back inside,” he muttered.

 

“No, you go inside.”

 

“I don't want you to get sick,” he replied. He turned around to face her. “Please?”

 

“We never got the chance to talk.”

 

Another sigh. He felt himself getting lost just by looking at her. Why did this female have such a hold on him? Why couldn’t he forget about her?

 

He knew why. He could answer this question.

 

He loved her.

 

Ulquiorra loved her.

 

Ulquiorra loved Orihime. It was a strange thing to think about. He loved her enough to risk his life to be with her. He loved her enough to spend a ridiculous amount of money on her. Never in his life had he experienced something like this. It was a sensation that gnawed on his normally logical brain.

 

“Let’s talk inside then,” he said grabbing her arm. She didn’t budge. “Orihime, please, come inside. Stop being stubborn.”

 

“I’m eighteen weeks.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m eighteen weeks pregnant,” she repeated. He could see a blush spread across her face just from the light that spilled outside of the windows. “I keep a diary of who I have sex with, on what day. I figured it would come in handy. I counted back eighteen weeks.”

 

Ulquiorra waited for her to finish. He held his breath and it seemed like hours before she finally spoke again.

 

“Ulquiorra, you're—“

 

“I’m going to be a father?”

 

The redhead nodded. “Yes, you are.”

 

Joy spread in his chest and every bad thing that he felt since they moved into the house melted away. He wanted to gather the woman into his arms but she was holding something back. He could tell by the way she bit her lip.

 

“What?” He asked.

 

“We are having a boy.”

 

* * *

 

Nel looked at the car sitting in the driveway. Everyone in the house was outside looking at it. She crossed her arms under her breasts, which really hurt for some reason, and frowned. Grimmjow was practically drooling over the almost brand new Honda Accord Type-S.

 

“What is this?” Orihime asked.

 

“It's my new car.”

 

“But you can't drive!”

 

“Yet,” Ulquiorra stated.

 

“Wait, you bought a car but you can't drive?” Nel asked. The dark-haired man ignored her. It took Orihime touching his arm to make him answer.

 

His deep green eyes held nothing but contempt as he looked at her. “If you could have kept—”

 

The redhead touched his arm again. He sighed and forced a polite smile on his face. “I bought a car you could use. There are some stipulations though.”

 

“Like?”

 

He scoffed. “Either you or Grimmjow need to teach me how to drive. You're to take Orihime—” Nel watched as he paused and she narrowed her eyes as Orihime moved closer to him. “And yourself to appointments. The car isn't to leave Nikko unless I'm with you.”

 

“You make it sound like I'm going to steal your car to do some kind of criminal activity,” she bitched.

 

“I don't know what your _new friend_ is into,” the short man retorted.

 

“Fuck y—” Nel saw the glint in his eye and she stopped herself from saying that word. She knew that he could and would do it. “Fuck off.”

 

She turned and stomped inside the house. It was Saturday. She still had to get a few things ready. The overnight bag that had her clothes in it was already at Candy Ink tucked carefully in her office. She had packed it and left it at work the other day.

 

Inside of another bag, Nel was currently shoving items like her hairbrush, makeup, toiletries, lotion, and some condoms were thrown in for good measure. She had never done this before so she didn't know what to take or pack.

 

After trying on several different outfits, she ultimately decided on jeans, t-shirt, a hoodie, and her leather jacket. Nel couldn't help think about the other night as Bazz had loaned her his jacket. She hadn't been thinking about the cold and only wore a sweater over the dress. She had threatened to keep it because he smelled so good.

 

“If you like the way I smell, I'll buy you a bottle of the cologne I wear,” Bazz offered.

 

Nel had shaken her head. She shivered at the memory of his words the other night. Once he had her in the driveway, they resumed making out like teenagers.

 

Bazz had one of her breasts in his hands. He leaned close to her. “Don't worry, Nelliel. Soon your entire body will have my scent on it.”

 

Nel gulped. The deep desire in his voice was enough to make her want to say, fuck it. She wanted to throw logic to the wind and pull him inside the house; inside of her. The wait was killing her. In the end, she kissed him and then got out of the red sports car.

 

Now, she was possibly hours away from leaving Nikko to go to Tokyo with him. She was nervous. Bazz was either going to have a positive reaction to her state or a really awful one. Nel thought about canceling.

 

“You almost ready?”

 

It was Grimmjow. He must have been waiting to go to her parent's house. Grabbing her house keys, Nel looked around her room. She hoped she wasn't forgetting anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { Vapor Atrophy's set  
> Foo Fighters – Everlong  
> The Megas - History Repeating Pt 1  
> Fall Out Boy - Centuries  
> John Legend – All of Me  
> System of a Down – Roulette  
> The Tea Party – Release  
> Blue October – Congratulations  
> Panic! At The Disco – I Write Sins, Not Tragedies
> 
> { Grimmjow's set  
> Iron & Wine – Such Great Heights  
> Foo Fighters – Walking After Your  
> Go Radio – I Won't Lie  
> Go Radio – Why I'm Home  
> Vertical Horizon – Give You Back  
> VAST – Flames  
> 311 – Love Song  
> Labrinth - Jealous


	15. Just Play Pretend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel and Grimmjow break the news to her parents but she wants him to play pretend. He gets angry and Bazz hears what he has to say to Nel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> I'm sorry... :( There's a lot of anger in this chapter.
> 
> I also named Nel's mom. I took Aika from the family I stayed with while in Japan alllllllllllll those years ago.

The ride across town had been silent. Grimmjow felt if he tried to initiate conversation, Nel wouldn't have talked to him anyway. They'd not spoken about the incident at the bar or about what happened in her room. He tried as much as he could to avoid her.

 

He was also avoiding Orihime who shot him hurt and wounded looks. He wasn't sure but the redhead probably thought all those songs he had sang were for her. Not one of them were.

  
  
That made Grimmjow a bastard. He was playing around with Orihime while trying to get Nel back.

 

Zom had told him after the disastrous gig, to pick one woman to love. He clearly was barely mature enough for one relationship, let alone two. The lead singer of the band didn't know about the stuff between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

 

He wasn't going to tell anyone either. That's all he needed was to be heckled because he was... well, he was only gay for one man. He liked pussy way too much to give it up. It wasn't that he was bisexual. Other men did nothing for him. He just liked Ulquiorra's mouth... and his dick... and his fingers... and the man's ass.

 

 _For fucks sakes_.

 

Grimmjow shouldn't even be thinking about sex at a moment like this. He was walking into enemy territory! Doing that while preoccupied was going to be deadly. He took a deep breath and sighed as he made the last turn that would put them in front of the Nel's childhood home.

 

When he turned off the car, she put a hand on his arm. “I need you to make it seem like we're together,” she said.

 

“What? Fuck no.” A steel wall came up between her and his heart. There was no way he was going to sugarcoat and gloss over the fact that she had broken up with him. He knew it was because of the fact that she had walked out while singing one of his favorite songs that he was being stubborn and difficult.

 

“ _Please_ , Grimm, no one knows we're split up. Just play pretend for a little while,” Nel said. She bit her lip. “Just for right now. I'll get around to telling my mother and father that we broke up in a couple of weeks.”

 

“Fuck. No. Nelliel.”

 

“Fine. Fuck. You. Grimmjow.”

 

“Name a place and a time, _Queen_.”

 

They both scoffed at the same time; the same little, “tch” rolling off their lips. Nel because he had taken it as an invitation. Him, because he had the balls to say it.

 

“Can we go fucking in now?” he asked, yanking the keys from the ignition. With that, he opened the door and walked up to the tiny house.

 

Nel followed him, leaving her bag in the car, at a much slower pace. Once she reached the door, she knocked. The door opened and her mother stood behind it.

 

“Nelliel!” came the warm words. “Grimmjow, such a strong boy! Come in!”

 

* * *

 

They entered the home and slipped their shoes off. The pair followed the tiny older woman into the living area and gestured that they should sit down by the kotatsu. Nel couldn't help wonder if her mother still had a charcoal one or had upgraded to an electric one.

 

“Mom? Did you—”

 

“Nel, my girl!” Dondochakka boomed.

 

Instead of voicing her concern, Nel gave the big man a huge grin, then walked over to give him a hug. “Don!”

 

Nel was pulled back and she watched Don eye the blue-haired man. “Grimmjow, how've ya been?”

 

Ever since Nel ended up in the hospital because of Nnoitra, Don had kept Grimmjow at an arm's length distance. He had told Nel why he did it. Even after five years, the man hadn't forgiven Grimmjow for not telling someone how dangerous the dead man had been.

 

“'m fine, sir.” the other man said, still standing with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

 

“Does anyone want any tea?” her mother said.

 

“Aika, sit the hell down. We'll have tea later,” Don said. “You two, sit also. We've been waiting for you to visit for weeks now.”

 

Nel nodded and sat down on one side of the table. Grimmjow sat down across from her, his gaze pointed at the top of the piece of furniture. “We've been busy. Running a business is difficult,” she said.

 

Don nodded at this. “You've done rather well over the past three years though,” he replied.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“There must be a reason for your visit,” her mother said. Nel glanced at the woman. She wondered if had gotten her mother's dark hair and eyes, would she have met Grimmjow or Nnoitra? Probably not. Those girls wouldn't have tormented her. She would have been friends with them. She would have done well in school and went to university.

 

“Yes, Grimmjow and I are here to inform you that you're going to be grandparents around March or April,” Nel said in a soft voice, not bothering to look at the blue-haired man. A gasp came from everyone at the table. She felt three pairs of eyes on her face. “We are having a girl.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, how, wonderful!” said her mother.

 

“Congratulations, you two!”

 

Nel looked up to see Grimmjow gazing at her. She couldn't describe the expression on his face. Vulnerable, maybe? It passed in an instant and that stone cold wall was back.

 

Don's lumbering frame stood up and he gestured for Grimmjow to stand up. “C'mon my boy. We'll leave these women to talk. Let's get a drink.”

 

She watched as her ex-boyfriend followed her stepfather. As soon as Nel heard the door to his “man-cave” closed, she looked at her mother. The cheery facade was gone and her mother's face was worried.

 

“Nelliel?”

 

“Don't, Mom.”

 

“I've not said anything,” the woman said.

 

“I know you, okay? I know what you're going to say.”

 

Her mother clicked her tongue. “Are you sure about this? You don't seem very happy and neither does Grimmjow.”

 

“Mom,” she sighed. Why did she think that she could keep anything from the older woman? “We broke up.”

 

“Nel?”

 

“We've been fighting ever since we moved and things weren't working out. I couldn't let go of the past this year,” Nel said, frowning as she remembered what happened and what she had said to the man. “I said some horrible things to him. I hit him.”

 

“Oh, darling,” Aika said.

 

Nel held up a hand. She didn't want her mom's sympathy. Plus, she had more to explain. “I broke up with him. I realized I wasn't happy anymore. He was too interested in the other woman.”

 

Her mother's mouth formed a thin line and the woman sniffed. “I'm worried about you. Ever since that— _boy_ came into your life, you've not been the same Nel that I knew. You became this girl who I worried about. Even when he died, I still worried about you.”

 

“I'm fine, Mom. The memories were just too much this time. So much has happened in the past two years that I've had to deal with. I thought I could have had something with Ulquiorra—”

 

Her mother's eyebrows shot up. “The boy who got shot?”

 

“He's not a boy. He's a man, trust me,” Nel corrected and then blushed. Sometimes, she had flashbacks of their time together. “I could have been happy with him; he's too hung up on his ex though. I've kind of been dating a guy. He makes me laugh.”

 

Her mother sighed. “I still worry, Nelliel. A mother's love doesn't die once their child reaches adulthood. You'll learn this.”

 

The teal-haired woman nodded. “I'm afraid though. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know what to do. I wasn't trying to have a kid, Mom.”

 

The small Japanese woman leaned over and patted Nel's hand. “I will help you learn. You'll do a fine job at being a mother. I'm worried about the choice of the father though.”

 

* * *

 

He found her in her old bedroom looking at her childhood things. The room had seemed big when they were kids but as he walked into the space, it was tiny. Nel looked at him then back to the jewelry music box that sat on the dresser.

 

“Don's done chewing my ear off,” Grimmjow said to her. He then added as an afterthought, “And trying to get me drunk.”

 

“They probably wrote off me having kids. He's probably happy he's going to be a grandfather,” Nel mumbled. “I don't know why they just don't throw all this junk away and use the space for something. It seems pointless to keep all of it.”

 

Grimmjow shrugged. Everything from his childhood was kept in one small cardboard box. He didn't have much time to pack once his mom told him he had to leave. “Just appreciate it, Nel. Your parents care that much to keep it.”

 

“Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean it—”

 

“I know. It's okay.” The blue-haired man moved farther into the room and closed the door. Nel stiffened slightly. “We need to talk.”

 

She nodded and turned away from the dresser and looked at a wall that was plastered with posters of old teen pop idols. She pointed at one of them. It showed some Japanese rock band who wore dresses and Lolita costumes. “I wonder if this band is still around,” she said.

 

He sighed. She was avoiding the subject. Grimmjow moved until he was standing behind her. He brought his hands up and gently put them on her shoulders. “Nel,” he murmured. “I'm sorry. I want you to know that.”

 

“Grimmjow, it's behind us. You don't have to apologize for anything—”

 

Her words were cut off as he turned her around. Grimmjow tilted her face up to his. He wanted to get this off his chest. “No. No, it's not okay. I shouldn't have done what I did. I fucking miss you, Nel. There have been so many times since—I wish you would have stayed the other night—I did all of that for you. I invited you and then—”

 

“Stop. It's over. We're done.”

 

“I don't want to give up the past four years, Nel.”

 

“Let's go. I have to get to work.”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was slipping on his shoes as Nel was telling both her parents goodbye. She would be back in a couple of weeks to visit them again, she told them. They hugged and Grimmjow couldn't help think of his own mother. She had died a couple of months before they moved into the house. He hadn't said anything to anyone. He dealt with it his own way. He might have been a tad angrier around that time.

 

His heart hadn't hurt this bad when he found out that news. It was just another bump in the road. He had shrugged it off as another thing in life. Grimmjow had swept it under the rug. Wasn't like his ma was much of a mother anyway. She'd kicked him out when they got notice his real father had died in prison.

 

He tried to fix things once again, only to have her shoot him down. Fine. She didn't want to work it out. She didn't want to take him back. He made a mistake and Nel wouldn't let him fix it.

 

He left the house first, not bothering to say goodbye to the older couple. Grimmjow was getting pissed off just thinking about how he'd acted like everything was normal with Dondachakka. Nothing was normal. Nothing was right. The man offered him a drink. Grimmjow refused, saying he had to drive. The grizzled, bearded man nodded.

 

Grimmjow opened the door of his car and then got in. He slammed it shut and turned the car on. It was fucking cold out and the car was old, so it needed time to warm up. His phone dinged. He pulled the phone with it's cracked screen out of his pocket.

 

It was a text from Ulquiorra.

 

_\- More condoms missing from the box._

 

Grimmjow frowned and tapped the guy's number. How the fuck did he know that?

 

“Hello?”

 

“What the hell do you mean?”

 

He heard Ulquiorra sigh. “I went to get a condom from Nel's room.”

 

“Why the fuck would you need a condom?”

 

Another sigh. “I'm meeting an escort soon.”

 

“Oh,” Grimmjow said then what Ulquiorra revealed hit him. If the man was calling up escorts then he was on some fuckery or sexually frustrated. “Oh shit. You're not going to have them come to the house, are you?”

 

“No. There's a love hotel down the street from the tattoo shop,” he replied. “Well, it's—Why the fuck am I telling you this?”

 

“You're the one snooping through Nel's things,” Grimmjow answered.

 

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment. “ _I_ don't have to get an escort. You are aware of that, aren't you?”

 

“Touch her and _I'll_ fucking kill you,” Grimmjow growled through gritted teeth.

 

“She's the mother of _my_ child.”

 

“Goddammit, Ulquiorra,” the blue-haired man cursed.

 

“I'm just saying that I could. I'm not because I respect _you_ and _our_ friendship. It's only because of that I _don't_ ,” Ulquiorra commented.

 

“That's a low fucking blow.”

 

“Whatever. I'm over it,” the dark-haired replied. “I've gotta go. I think the escort just knocked on the door.”

 

* * *

 

Nel felt the icy tension in the car and it didn't have anything to do with the chilling temperature outside of the vehicle. “What?”

 

“Nothing. I'm fucking driving.”

 

The teal-haired woman raised an eyebrow and then took a moment to study the man sitting in the driver's seat. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and his jaw was clenched tightly. “Are you sure? Because it really looks like you're angry enough to run the car into a tree without a second thought.”

 

“I didn't like fucking lying to your dad is all. I don't like the fact that you won't accept my apology. Are you really pregnant with a girl? I'm gonna have a daughter?” Grimmjow asked glancing over at her. “I can fucking guarantee that my little girl will not grow up like we fucking did. I swear to fucking everything that if anything happens to her like what happened to you, I will go after every mother—”

 

“Grimmjow!”

 

“What?”

 

“Calm down,” Nel said in a stern voice. Although she had on a seatbelt, Nel didn't feel safe. The way his face looked was worrisome. It was as if someone mixed seven parts of angry with a dash of livid, topped it off with fuming wrath and garnished the glass with a slice of seething hatred. “You're going to kill us.”

 

He gave a snort of bitter laughter. “I might want to kill other people in this thing but I wouldn't fucking hurt you. I wouldn't do a fucking thing to you. My name isn't fucking _Nnoitra_.”

 

Well, he knew where to hit her the hardest. Right in the heart. Nel swallowed and braced herself as the car swung around a corner. He didn't even press the brake to slow down. “Grimm, what is wrong?”

 

“Ain't a goddamn thing wrong, Nelliel.”

 

“ _Bullshit_! You are on some fucking bullshit!” Nel yelled at him. The only time he said her full name was when he was pissed off at her.

 

“You want to know what is _bullshit_? You're fucking someone else and that someone isn't me!”

 

Nel opened her mouth and closed it. She was confused. She hadn't had sex in a while and the last person had been Ulquiorra. “What the hell are you talking about?”

 

Grimmjow scoffed as he turned onto the street where Candy Ink was located. “You know what I mean,” he said as he slammed on the brakes. He stopped in front of the building. “Look there's your fuck boy, right there. Does he take you to hotels like some whore? Does he pay you?”

 

“I'm not fucking him. I've not had sex with him!” Nel countered as she unbuckled the seat belt. She was just thinking about having sex with him. There was a difference but she wasn't going to point that out to the blue-haired asshole sitting next to her. She didn't want to experience him explode while in a small space.

 

She looked to where Grimmjow gestured. Bazz stood with his arms across his chest clad in that white leather jacket and jeans. He was leaning against the hood of his red sports car, watching them. Nel should have been paying more attention to the male sitting beside her. 

 

“Why are there condoms missing from the box in your room?”

 

“How do you know about that? You've been in my room?”

 

“Never mind. Get the fuck out, Nel.”

 

“What? No! You need to answer—”

 

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” He screamed at her. The loudness of his voice made the windows vibrate and Nel cringed in her seat as she saw his hands curled into fists. The anger in his voice was frightening her. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE HOUSE. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE. _JUST GET FUCKING OUT_!”

 

When she didn't move, Grimmjow reached across her and yanked the door handle that popped the door open. “Get out of my car,” he fumed.

 

She grabbed her bag and scrambled out of the car. Nel barely made it out the door before Grimmjow sped off. Her face turned red as she saw Bazz. He witnessed the entire thing. She started shivering slightly because the words that Grimmjow had said to her sank in. Nel swallowed the lump of tears building in her throat. She didn't want to cry in front of the man with a mohawk. She didn't want to do this in front of Bazz. She took a deep breath and then walked to the door of Candy Ink.

 

“You wanna tell me what that was about?” Bazz asked. He didn't move from where he leaned against his car. He wasn't even looking at Nel when he asked her the question; his gaze was on the asphalt of the street. His arms were still crossed over his chest.

 

“Not really,” she said, before walking into the tattoo shop.

 

* * *

 

Bazz was half tempted to throw the blue-haired asshole from the car and just start beating the shit out of the guy. He found a couple of problems with that. Nel would see it and he didn't want to ruin the weekend getaway he had planned for her.

 

Smurfette was doing a fine job of that already.

 

So, he was kinda angry. He heard perfectly clear what the guy said to Nel. He wanted her out of his life, Bazz would oblige him. Happily, with a fucking smile on his face. Then Nel just walked into her business. Did she normally just walk away from her problems? He needed to know what the other guy was talking about. He needed confirmation that she was done with him. With a sigh, rolling his neck, Bazz pushed off of the car and followed after Nel. He didn't even look at the pink haired kid who protested as he stalked through the black curtain. He walked down to Nel's office and opened the door to see her crying at her desk.

 

He walked into the room and closed the door. Nel hid her face in her arms. Next time Bazz saw the blueberry, he was gonna throw a fist or two at him. “You okay?” he asked.

 

Nel nodded, at least he thought she did.

 

“You want me to leave?”

 

She definitely shook her head this time.

 

“You want to cause me some physical pain before we leave?”

 

“Huh?” Nel asked as her head popped up.

 

Bazz smiled. “Would you like to relieve some of your anger or whatever by giving me a tattoo? Or hell, by finishing my skull and crossbones?”

 

“You want an emotional person to wield a needle and dig it into your skin?” Nel asked, wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. “Are you a masochist? Are you fucking crazy?”

 

“Nope, I'm trying to be a good friend.”

 

“Bullshit. You and I know we are beyond friends,” Nel countered. “Friends don't want to fuck.”

 

“Friends with benefits?”

 

“If that was the case then we would have already fucked, Bazz. I remember you saying that you were “to be enjoyed, not quickly consumed” or something like that. I took it to mean you didn't do quickies or one-offs. I've given you enough opportunities.”

 

Bazz took a deep breath at her words. Fuck, she had him over a barrel there. He had said that but she didn't know him and he didn't want to tell her. “Fine, we're more than friends,” he said. He looked at her face, still unhappy that the blue-haired man made her cry. He knew he would kill his half-brother if he hurt her.

 

“What?”

 

“If I wasn't a patient man, Nel, you would have been on me a long time ago.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avenged Sevenfold – Only God Knows  
> Noah Cyrus – Make Me (Cry)  
> Melanie Martinez – Carousel  
> Divide The Day - Fuck Away The Pain  
> Disturbed - You're Mine  
> Papa Roach - Wish You Never Met Me  
> Dua Lipa – New Rules  
> Justin Beiber / Bloodpop – Friends  
> Hayley Kiyoko – Sleepover  
> Jacob Banks – Unknown (To You)  
> Mr FijiWiji, Direct & Aruna - Time To Say Goodbye  
> Jessie J – Nobody's Perfect  
> Logic & Rag'n'Bone Man - Broken People  
> Hailey Reinhart - Undone  
> Greg Laswell - Goodbye  
> VAST - You Destroy Me  
> Chester See - A Life of Regrets  
> Adele - Million Years Ago  
> Lauren Aquilina - Forest Fires  
> Fred J. Allen - When The Stars Began To Fall


	16. IDFC (I Don't Fucking Care)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra regrets the booty call. Nel feels uncomfortable around Bazz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Ulquiorra hooks up with an ex. Contains backstory characters LOL. It'll come back to bite him in the ass I assure you. Merely a precursor to the next chapter. :D Title comes from Blackbear's IDFC. You should really listen to it because it kinda fits Ulquiorra perfectly.

Ulquiorra flopped onto his back and took deep breaths. A woman with dark hair laid beside him, breathing equally hard. It wasn't as satisfying as Orihime but it would do, for the moment.

 

He turned his head away from his female companion and then sat up. It was probably almost time for him to get the hell out of there and take himself to work. He stood up and went to the tiny bathroom and cleaned himself up, disposing of the condom in the trash can.

 

“ _That's it_?” Sung-Sun asked as she propped herself up on an elbow as he walked out of the other room.

 

“What?” he asked as he bent over to get his boxers and jeans.

 

“I remember you, Cifer. You don't stop at one time.”

 

He sighed as he buttoned his pants then zipped them. He bent down to pick up his t-shirt and hoodie. “Sung-Sun, I only had one condom,” he stated.

 

“So? I'm on birth control. I also don't have any diseases.”

 

The dark-haired man couldn't help himself. He started laughing, deep stomach clenching laughs rang out. Oh, he'd heard that one about birth control before. He shook his head. “I'm sorry if you expected more from me but this was just a quick thing. I've got to get to work.”

 

“What happened to you?” The woman pouted and sat up on the bed. Sung-sun said, “This isn't like you at all.”

 

“Get your fucking clothes on and let's go,” Ulquiorra said in a flat tone then threw the woman's clothes at her. He knew he was being cold and, maybe, cruel but he only contacted his ex, for one thing, a single booty call. He thought she understood that. “I'm not paying for this room for another hour.”

 

He pulled on his shoes and his hoodie, then picked up his messenger bag and slung it over his head and shoulder. He watched the woman's slim, pale body as she moved off the bed. His mind started to compare his ex-girlfriend to his baby momma.

 

Truth be told, fucking Sung-Sun had been like fucking a bony stick. He was probably going to have bruises on his hips tomorrow. Not that he would have to explain to anyone what they were doing there.

 

He was tired. He was tired of listening to Orihime scream Grimmjow's name. He was tired of watching porn. He was tired of jerking off. So, that was the reason why he'd called Sung-Sun. She had been all too eager to meet him at the hotel. He'd paid for two hours. She'd shown up thirty minutes late. It had taken him a while to get hard because she wasn't Orihime. He found her porn star techniques to be annoying. He had no desire for her scrawny tits and flat ass.

 

He missed Orihime's soft breasts. He missed her shapely bottom. He wanted to touch her slightly rounded abdomen. The rules of the house stated all he had to do was ask. Orihime could have told him to go to hell. Ulquiorra didn't think she would have but like he told Grimmjow, _he_ respected boundaries.

 

If Orihime was with Grimmjow, then he wouldn't bother her. At least not for sex. He bothered her that morning to feel her torso, trying to see if he could get a kick or some kind of movement out of the infant inside her. She had smiled, so that had to count for something. He was tempted to try and make love to her or have sex though. He had kept his feelings under lock and key.

 

“Are you finished?” He asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

 

The woman flounced out of the room and Ulquiorra shook his head. He briefly wondered if men ever had this problem with other men. The bitchiness was getting to be ridiculous.

 

* * *

 

The three-hour drive had been uneventful. Bazz was a complete gentleman and carried both of her bags to the car, stowing them in the trunk. Yachiru had said nothing but Nel knew the girl was watching. She'd be harassed or interrogated once she returned.

 

Bazz came back inside to inform her that they were all set. Nel left to give Pesche some last minute instructions. Had she not done that, she wouldn't have run into Ulquiorra. The dark-haired man had a wild look in his eyes.

 

“Where are you going?” he asked as he leaned against the wall of the hallway.

 

“Grimmjow told me to get out of the house and his life. That's what I'm doing,” Nel replied. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Nothing is wrong with me. Why?”

 

The teal-haired woman studied him for a moment longer and then took a couple steps towards him. “You smell like sweet pea and something else,” Nel quipped. “I know what Orihime smells like and that's almonds. Someone's been doing bad things.”

 

“I wouldn't have to resort to whores if you had kept your legs shut,” he sneered, leaving her glaring in the hallway.

 

Nel told herself that she didn't care. Ulquiorra could screw a million whores and she didn't care one bit.

 

Once they were in the car and headed towards Tokyo, Nel watched the town of Nikko fade into Utsunomiya and then finally the skyline of the metropolis. Bazz sped through the expressway and into the streets of downtown.

 

She had to actually open the passenger side window to see the tops of some of the buildings. It got too cold to be a tourist and Nel rolled the window back up just as Bazz turned into an underground parking garage. He swiped a card that he pulled out of the visor, which raised a metal gate. He drove through it after it cleared the top of the car.

 

Nel raised her eyebrows at this. Did he live in a building with security? It was black glass all the way up from what she saw as they disappeared into the garage. They got out of the car, Bazz carried her overnight bag and she carried the other. He held her hand as they walked to the elevator.

 

As the lift doors closed, Bazz gave her a grin which made Nel blush furiously. She felt so silly. They stopped at the twenty-ninth floor and stepped out of the elevator. There were only five doors along the hallway. He led her to one at the very end.

 

He handed her the bag, unlocked the door, and Nel's mouth dropped open as she was pulled into the apartment. Bazz had said it was an apartment but it was bigger than any apartment she had ever been in.

 

He said nothing as he walked off, disappearing down a hall. Nel stood in the foyer of the apartment with her bag in her hand. The place was bigger than her former dwelling. The fact that she could see into the living room which looked out over a park and Tokyo Tower was a bit overwhelming. She felt like she didn't belong here. She wasn't used to shiny marble floors or plush carpets. Nel's view never included skylines, tourist attractions, or even a city like Tokyo. She had always told herself that one of these days she would visit Osaka, where she was born but had never gotten around to it. Running a business and having employees took a lot of time and money.

 

Maybe she could leave; just slip out the door and find a subway station. She could always text Bazz later. Nel turned around and gripped the door handle. She pushed the metal down and heard someone behind her.

 

“You're leaving already?”

 

Dammit, she got caught. Nel released the handle and pivoted. Bazz was standing there looking at her. He had taken off his jacket and his boots. She shook her head.

 

“Bullshit, Nel.”

 

“I'm not comfortable—I've never—” she couldn't get the words out. They wouldn't come to her. She watched as Bazz held his hand out to her. Nel couldn't help blush as she looked at his face.

 

He was handsome. The mohawk suited him. His eyes were a piercing pale green. He had sensual lips that could make her stomach flutter just from smiling. The scar on one side of his face made him seem a bit dangerous. She knew that he was muscled from the waist up. She could only imagine what was below the belt. Taking a deep breath, Nel took a step towards him.

 

Her stomach was in knots as he took her hand and pulled her body close to him. “You're nervous, aren't you?” he asked in a low voice.

 

“Yeah,” she replied in a whisper. She couldn't look at his eyes, so Nel stared at his the space between his collar bones.

 

He tipped her head up. “Nel, we don't have to do anything. If you just want to watch movies and eat ramen, I'd be okay with that. We can stare at each other the entire time you're here. I'm not going to make you do anything if you're not comfortable.”

 

“It's probably high-class ramen though,” she said with a half-hearted smile. “I'm just nervous because all my life, I've—my family—we didn't want for anything but... Seeing all of this is shocking.”

 

He chuckled. “I'm a bachelor, I eat silly things,” he admitted. “I know how to be humble.”

 

Nel's hand that was holding her bag released it when he leaned down to kiss her. It was soft and gentle; just a slight brush between their lips. It was left there as Nel was guided into a hallway. Bazz continued to kiss her as he pulled her to the doorway at the end of the hall which he broke long enough to open it. What was hidden behind that door, was a gigantic bedroom. Her mouth dropped open.

 

“I'd figure I'd give you a tour before we got into anything. I mean you're gonna want to know your way around here,” Bazz grinned. He stepped into the room and she found herself following him. “This is my bedroom, the master bath is through that door. The door beside that is my closet.”

 

“It's huge and probably filled with the same clothes,” Nel mused.

 

“Pretty much,” he replied. “I don't have a wild selection of T-shirts like you do. Nor do I have the number of leggings you do.”

 

She blushed then laughed at his joke. “I like leggings, they're comfortable. Can I take off my shoes? I feel really uncomfortable wearing them inside.”

 

“Yeah, there's a closet you can put them in the foyer. I have a boot collection, that's why I left you out there,” he said, walking out of the room and back to the entrance.

 

Nel raised an eyebrow as she put her shoes in the closet. “You like shoes?”

 

“ _Boots_.”

 

“Oh, I've never met a guy with a shoe—boot obsession,” Nel said with a smirk.

 

Bazz was leaning against the wall and he shrugged. “Before you is the living room, complete with video game consoles, and a fine selection of horror movies. I think I told you my favorite movie genre is horror.”

 

She nodded, “I remembered.”

 

He held out his hand and she took it. Bazz walked, instead of going in the direction of the bedroom, he turned the other way down the hall. “The kitchen, dining and another bathroom is this way.”

 

“All this space and you only have one bedroom?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Oh, Nel thought. Was he expecting her to sleep with him? She bit her lip and shifted from foot to foot. The nervousness was coming back. The thing with Grimmjow was completely over but still, she didn't want to lead him on. Besides, once he saw her body he wouldn't want her. It was silly to get her hopes up.

 

“Hey,” Bazz said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Nel, it's okay.”

 

Nel gave a slight nod. She found herself pressed against a wall and Bazz was looking down at her. Her breath stopped for a moment. He was leaning down letting his mouth brush against hers again. She pushed him away gently. “So, what do you normally do, when you're home?”

 

He grinned, “C'mon, let's go watch a movie.”

 

* * *

 

The freaking bathroom was gigantic. Nel sat in the jacuzzi tub, full of bubbles. She could get used to this. It would probably get boring after a while but the huge apartment with the huge tub and kitchen and television was awesome.

 

Bazz made himself a drink from the bar in the living room. He'd offered her one, she declined. They had watched a couple of George Romero's movies. They lay in the middle of the deep couch, with Nel's head on top of Bazz's chest. It was when she yawned that he suggested for her to take a bath so that she could relax and get some rest. He must have known she needed it.

 

Her mouth had dropped open when she walked into the master bathroom. It had double sinks, a long counter, two mirrors, access to the walk-in closet, a huge shower, and the tub. Even, the toilet had its own room which was bigger than the ones at home.

 

Nel wrapped herself in a bath sheet and then realized she had left her bag by the door. She couldn't put on her other clothes. She crept out of the bathroom, into the bedroom and then down the hall. Her eyes didn't see Bazz anywhere. Nel quickly darted to where she had dropped the bag and bent down to pick it up.

 

“You're leaving again?”

 

She jumped and yelped, spinning around. “No! I forgot my bag out here,” Nel said, clutching the towel and bag to her chest.

 

“I was going to say, I'd be a bit mad if you took off with one of my towels,” Bazz said with a grin. “Why didn't you have me bring it to you?”

 

“This ain't a towel. I could use it as a blanket,” Nel replied. She then bit her lip. With her being as exposed as she was, the nervousness was coming back. “I didn't want to bother you.”

 

Bazz just shrugged. “I've ordered some food for us, go get dressed then we will eat.”

 

The way he said that made her shiver slightly. Nel skirted around him and practically dashed back down to the safety of the bedroom. She wasn't safe in his bedroom. She was in his territory so how did she figure she was safe? Digging into the bag, she grabbed what she needed and then put it on one of the armchairs in the room. She slathered lotion on her stomach, rubbing the skin with small circles. It smelled like vanilla, honey, and almonds. After that, Nel quickly threw on the baggiest t-shirt she had brought and then a pair of leggings. She didn't feel like putting on underwear or a bra. They would probably be useless.

 

As much as Bazz said that they didn't have to do anything, Nel wanted to. She wanted to know. She wanted to stop the curious stares and touches. The same old fear came back, rearing its ugly head. As soon as he saw her entire body, she was betting that he would tell her to leave.

 

There was a knock on the door. “You hungry?” Bazz asked from the other side of the door.

 

“Yeah, I'm almost done,” Nel called out. “Give me a few more minutes.”

 

She heard footsteps pad back down the hall. Exhaling a deep breath, Nel stood up from the bed. She couldn't hide out here all night. She opened the door and walked out into the apartment to see Bazz sitting on the couch with several takeout containers in front of him.

 

* * *

 

Dinner had been finished for a while, Bazz put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Nel hadn't eaten much, he'd noticed. She was probably nervous. He was kind of nervous too, that's why he made himself a drink before having an impromptu movie marathon. Having a woman he hadn't known for a long time inside of his apartment was an uncomfortable place for him. Hell, just having a woman around made him nervous.

 

She was here though. He planned to make the most of it. He had made two sets of plans. Plan A was Nel wanted to stay in the apartment and not do anything with him. This plan included him sleeping on the couch. Plan B was filled with shopping, dates, some romance, and lots of sex. Lots of it. He'd bought condoms just for this weekend.

 

Bazz saw her yawn and he used a remote to turn off the television. “C'mon, let's tuck you into bed,” he said, pulling her up from the cushions of the couch.

 

“No, it's okay. I can sleep out here—Eep!”

 

He had practically crushed her to him. “No, you're a guest and if anyone is sleeping on the couch, it will be me.”

 

Pulling her by the hand down the hall to his bedroom, Bazz turned on the bedside lamp and pushed a button on the wall. Curtains slid across both walls of windows. He then gestured for Nel to take the left side of the bed. “My side,” he pointed down at the right side of the bed that he stood by. “That can be your side.”

 

He disappeared into the walk-in closet and came out with another pillow, handing it to her. There were already four pillows on the bed, but Bazz knew, from watching the cameras, Nel slept with four pillows by herself. Bazz had always slept with two pillows of his own. She gave him a weird glance but took it from him.

 

If he wasn't careful all it would take is one slip up to reveal himself. He didn't have to worry about his laptop or the pictures he had taken of her and the others. Those were at the house in Nikko. Ever since Tsukishima had become obsessed with the redhead, Bazz didn't spend as much time in Tokyo.

 

Making sure she was comfortable, Bazz walked into the closet again and stripped naked. He wanted to take a shower to try and shake off the tension of the day. He was somewhat keyed up from the blue-haired man's outburst and Nel being upset. All the sexual frustration he'd experienced over the past couple of months hadn't helped. He threw his clothes into the small basket and then walked into the bathroom.

 

It still smelled like her. Bazz could feel himself becoming aroused. The quicker he got this over with, the sooner he could be near her. Thus started the speediest shower in Bazz's entire life.

 

He slung a towel over his hips and another one around his neck. His hair lay to one side as Bazz brushed his teeth. It was still dripping wet. As soon as he was done, he carefully rubbed the long strands of red hair then ran a hairbrush through them, slicking them back.

 

He didn't like it so he brushed them to the side. Nope. He finally ran both of his hands through his hair, letting it fall where it wanted and threw both of his towels into the washing machine inside of the walk-in closet. It wasn't a full load so Bazz added dirty clothes, starting the machine. Then he opened one of the built-in drawers and grabbed a pair of boxers tugging them up his legs and onto his hips.

 

Opening the closet door, he saw Nel was still awake. She was laying on her side, staring at him. His green eyes sought out her tan ones and he gave a small grin as he entered the bedroom. He put one knee on the bed and watched as surprise cross her face.

 

 _Okay_ , so maybe she wasn't ready to sleep next to him. It was cool, he understood. He grabbed his pillows and got off the bed. The couch would be his resting place tonight. It was comfortable enough.

 

“Where are you going?” came the question as he opened the bedroom door.

 

Bazz sighed, “To the couch. I told you I was gonna be sleeping there tonight.”

 

“You don't have to.”

 

It took everything Bazz had to not go diving for the free side of the bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ZAYN - Fool  
> Divide The Day - One Night Stand  
> Good With Grenades - Bruises and Bitemarks  
> Fall Out Boy - Irresistible  
> Tame Impala – New Person, Same Old Mistakes  
> Fall Out Boy – Death Valley  
> Justin Beiber – Friends  
> Guccihighwaters - I thought I died inside  
> All Good Things - Fight  
> Blackbear – IDFC  
> Electric President – Insomnia


	17. Who'd Have Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazz. Nel. Enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Sexual activities in this chapter! Alert! Sex is in this chapter.

Nel lay awake in the big and comfy bed. Bazz was beside her. The lights were out; it was rather dark in the room. The curtains he had must have been the kind that blocked out the light. She rolled onto her back, trying to get comfortable but she couldn't do it. The teal-haired woman sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping man.

 

Not much was said between them as he crawled in beside her. He kissed her several times, turned out the light, and then he went to sleep.

 

She stood and slowly shuffled to the door. It opened quietly and she walked down the hall. Once she reached the living room, Nel could see the city of Tokyo was still alive and bustling with activity, even at one in the morning. The huge windows showed the streets below. Cars whizzed by, marquees of lights danced, and neon signs burned. People crawled like ants to various destinations.

 

Nel shook her head and finished her trek down to the kitchen. She flipped on the light and walked over to the refrigerator. The woman briefly wondered what the red-haired man did for a living that he could afford a nice place like this. It didn't seem like Bazz had a job. Pulling open the door, she looked over the contents inside then settled on a bottle of water.

 

Bazz was a bachelor. Why had she expected anything different than alcohol and takeout containers? He'd been a complete gentleman. Nel had anticipated something totally different. She took a drink from the bottle in her hand and stood there looking out the wall of windows that were by the dining table. More people ran to and fro.

 

“Couldn't sleep?”

 

Nel spun around and almost dropped the water. She clutched at her chest with her free hand. “For fucks sakes,” she blurted out.

 

“Sorry,” Bazz said apologetically and walked over to where she was standing.

 

Her hazel eyes watched him and throat worked to swallow. The black boxers he had on, left very little to the imagination. They were low on his hips but she could tell everything about him was muscled. Bazz was powerful. Was he as powerful as Grimmjow? She didn't want to think about her ex-boyfriend. This wasn't the time.

 

His red hair was messed up from sleep and Nel reached up to run her hands through it. It was incredibly silky and tickled her nose as it fell on her face when he kissed her. “I had a thought that maybe, you had a mohawk all the time,” she murmured.

 

“When I was little I used to sleep with it like that,” he said to her. “Got kind of pointless once puberty hit.”

 

Nel laughed. “I didn't wake you up, did I?”

 

Instantly the playful mood diminished, Bazz licked his lips and looked away from her. He seemed bashful about something, maybe even embarrassed. “Nel, I'm not used to sleeping beside anyone.”

 

“You're not?”

 

“Nope,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Never really had a long-term girlfriend nor wanted one. It's been me against the world for a while now. I'm more of a catch and release guy.”

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Find a female, fuck her, and then leave.” Nel's heart dropped. That's exactly what she was afraid of and it must have shown on her face because Bazz shook his head. “I didn't mean you though. You're the first woman to step foot in here.”

 

“Oh,” she murmured. That made a warm spot bloom in her chest. Nel was the first woman Bazz had ever brought home, so to speak. That could mean she was special to him, right? She asked herself. Nel brought the bottle of water up to her mouth and took a long drink from it to hide the blush that was starting to form.

 

Bazz eventually took the bottle from her and placed it on the counter. He pulled her into a knee-melting kiss. Those butterflies that lived in her stomach were back and they erupted with a vengeance.

 

“You're adorable when you do that, you know that?”

 

“It's not cute when I blush,” she pouted. A playful smile graced her lips. “Do you want to go back to bed?”

 

" _Fuck_. Like you have to ask," he said. Bazz's arms swept her up and carried her back down the hall to the bedroom like she was a bride. Nel squawked about being too heavy but the red-haired man paid no attention to her. When he deposited her onto the bed, Nel saw his arm reach for the bedside lamp.

 

“Don't turn it on.”

 

“You sure?”

 

Nel sighed, “Yeah.”

 

She felt his weight on the bed. Her breath hitched as his hands touched her. Her shirt was sliding up and then it was off her body, tossed somewhere in the room. Nel had the decency to cover her chest with her hands. Bazz quietly chuckled. Fingers were pushing down the leggings and Bazz brought his mouth to her neck, licking the skin there. “You're not wearing panties?” he questioned a hand running over her now naked ass.

 

“They're uncomfortable at night,” she replied with a gasp, as he gently bit the skin. She helped him take her leggings off and she dropped them beside the bed.

 

“Why can't I turn on the lights?” He asked, continuing to tease her by biting her earlobe.

 

“I don't want you to see my body.”

 

“Nelliel, I'm gonna be able to _feel_ your body,” Bazz said. He had pulled away from her. She could tell he was looking at her face. She was glad that the darkness hid the blush. “What's so bad about it?”

 

The light came on. She blinked against the harsh brightness and used one arm to cover her chest, the other went in between her legs. Being almost twenty-four weeks pregnant, it was starting to show. Her lower abdomen wasn't flat anymore. It was rounder. Her breasts were heavier.

 

“Oh.”

 

Nel hung her head so her hair formed a curtain around her after she heard him say that. She didn't know if that was a good or bad reaction. Her face flushed. Why had she done this? Why had she agreed to do this? She barely knew Bazz. A couple of heartfelt conversations and dates full of tension and laughs didn't make them best friends or lovers.

 

This was just going to be a one night stand, Nel told herself. A rebound. Grimmjow had been a rebound too.

 

Tomorrow, she would leave and find a train or something to take her back to Nikko. If he kicked her out now, she'd call Don or Kenpachi or even fucking Pesche. She would call every one of her contacts in her phone except Grimmjow... and Ulquiorra.

 

“Nel?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“You're pregnant, aren't you?”

 

She nodded once without looking at him. The tears burned in her eyes. She braced herself for the rejection she was so sure was coming.

 

* * *

 

Bazz was surprised to see Nel standing there looking ashamed. Her body was gorgeous, framed by the long aqua colored hair but he could see it; the telltale signs of the pregnancy. It hit him like a car slamming into a wall. There was a little monster inside of his head telling him, at least he didn't have to wear a condom. He didn't trust himself to speak at that moment and internally frowned.

 

Once she confirmed it, Bazz was hit with several scenarios. None of them good.

 

She was pregnant. This must be the reason why her clothing had become baggier and baggier over the months. Was this the reason why she was so unhappy? Was this the reason her and that dick head had broken up? He had to talk to Tsukishima, he had to inform him of this. Nel could not be part of his twisted plan. On the other hand, if Tsukishima found out Nel was pregnant, he would use that against Bazz.

 

She was pregnant. Fuck. He should have told her to leave so that he could protect her. He didn't. Bazz just stared at her. Truthfully, he found the sight of her full body an erotic image. He didn't know how she managed it, but every time he saw her she always managed to look gorgeous, even when looking dejected. It made him want her more.

 

He reached a hand out and gently pushed down the arm covering her chest. Her head flew up and she looked at him with an alarmed expression. Bazz saw it. She wasn't expecting acceptance. What kind of men had she been around that hurt her? 

 

“What?” he murmured as his hands gently cupped her breasts. They were big now but if she was pregnant, they'd only get bigger. “Let me guess, you thought I was gonna tell you to leave, right?”

 

She nodded. “I'm sorry! I couldn't—didn't tell you sooner. I just—It never seemed like a thing to bring up in conversation. What would I say; hey, by the way, I'm pregnant and it's my ex-boyfriend's who I still live with?”

 

Bazz pulled her to him as she started to cry. He used a thumb to wipe tears off her face. “Shhh, it wouldn't have mattered. Is this the reason why you didn't want to go with me after we saw that movie?”

 

“You mean in the car? Yes and no. It's the reason why I've been avoiding anything that required my clothing off, to be honest. You don't have to pretend to want me, Bazz. Let me go and I'll get my—”

 

She was cut off but this time it was because his lips came down on hers. Bazz was pushing her back into the headboard as they knelt on the bed. His hands were in her hair, body pressed firmly against hers. He hissed in pain because her hands gripped his strong shoulders, nails biting into his skin. He knew tomorrow there would be eight crescent-shaped marks there.

 

But her mouth was sweet, ripe, and yielding. Bazz plied her lips open where he dipped his tongue in, letting the smooth surface of her tongue touch his. She was so soft under his hands. Her flesh was hot as his mouth slid down her neck, sucking on the skin in the hollow of her throat. The way she pushed her hips against him made him groan.

 

His knuckles brushed against the sides of her breasts and when she gave an impatient whine, Bazz held a finger to her lips. “Shhhh, we're just getting started, Nel,” he whispered in her ear.

 

Bazz maneuvered her so that she was on her back against the bed. He covered her body with his and moved so that her breasts were now at his eye level. She was pretty close to perfect in his mind. His mouth closed around one nipple while one hand was busy touching the other one. He squeezed the sensitive flesh while biting the other. He then calmed the skin by gentle stroking and licking. Moments later, his mouth would switch sides to do the same. Another whine left her mouth followed by a moan.

 

God, that sound turned him on.

 

Kissing her gently, Bazz let their tongues touch again. Her hazel eyes were on him the entire time that he got off the bed and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the boxers he wore. He shifted his stance as they fell down his legs and then Bazz was naked as she was.

 

He watched her. Nel bit her lip as gaze landed on his dick and she blushed like a fucking virgin when she noticed him staring at her. The redness only got worse as Bazz grinned. He got on the bed again and picked up one of her feet. She didn't stop him as he caressed her feet to the inner thigh of each leg with his mouth. Nor did she stop him when his head dipped into the valley between her thighs. Her hands ran through his hair and he only had to warn her once, not to pull on it. When Bazz felt her legs starting to shake and her body tense, she stopped him.

 

He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “What? Was I hurting you?”

 

Nel's head shook back and forth. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Finally, she sat up and kissed him.

 

Fuck, that was hot, Bazz thought to himself. He'd never had a woman who licked the taste of herself off his tongue. Of course, he wasn't one for oral sex unless he was on the receiving end. He was rock hard and had been for a while but he kept telling himself to keep calm. To wait for this.

 

While they kissed, his hand snaked down her body, to part those wet lips, his finger dipping between the folds. Bazz quickly found her clit and started gently brushing the sensitive bundle of nerves with the side of his thumb, making her jump. He maneuvered his hand so that he could slip two fingers into her but didn't get very far. Bazz hissed at the same time she did and quite possibly for the same reasons.

  
“Fuck,” he groaned against her mouth. Bazz had not expected that; he really didn't. With as much as the dark-haired guy was fucking her, he expected her to yield easily to him. “You're tight.”

 

“Is it a problem? Don't you want to fuck me?”

 

Dammit. He pulled back and looked at her. Nel had an arm over her chest and her knees pulled up. His hand was still inside of her. She looked so damn innocent and when she said, those words... It seemed to drive him over the edge. No one had ever said that to him. Ever. He had never seen anyone had looked that innocent while saying that word. It was hot and dirty. It made him want to bury himself so far inside her and never retreat. He had to swallow and take a deep breath several times before barely regaining his composure.

 

“Nel, I don't want to just fuck you,” Bazz said. He watched her bottom lip tremble. “Shhh, it's not like that. I want to make you mine.”

 

He reached over to the bedside table and extracted a condom. He knew Nel was watching him as he put it on himself because she said something.

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but why are you wearing—”

 

“Because it's fucking polite. You don't know if I have something,” Bazz replied. He pulled Nel up and settled her on his lap. All it would take is one movement to enter her as she straddled his thighs. He used a finger to trace the features of her face before kissing her. His mouth covered hers and for a moment he lost himself.

 

It was Nel who pulled away from him. “You don't want me to do anything to you before—we—?”

 

“Got plenty of time for that,” he murmured. His hands were lifting her up now. She looked surprised as he positioned himself up and then grabbed her hips to push her down on him.

 

His breath caught in his throat as he began to enter her body. Bazz almost forgot what it felt like to have sex. He'd gone through a dry spell before pursuing Nel. The tightness around him was almost unbelievable. He wished that he could see Nel's face but she was wrapped firmly around him, arms locked behind his neck, face buried in his shoulder, legs secure around his hips. Bazz didn't need to see her face but it would have made him feel a tad better. Judging facial expressions was a lot easier than breathing patterns.

 

So, instead of continuing to do this sitting up, he flipped them over so that she was on her back. She still clung to him. He pushed in halfway, knowing it was a probably a bit of a stretch for her. He stilled as he listened for signs of discomfort. It took a few more gentle rocks of his hips before her body took most of the length. There Bazz paused again. That's when Nel looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed her gently, using every ounce of his self-control not to thrust forward like he was used to.

 

When she gave a low hiss, Bazz pulled back before pushing into her. Soon, they had an unhurried but steady rhythm established. Her body was begging him to slide right back in deep and hard. The bed was rocking, Nel was moaning his name but it wasn't loud enough to be classified as screaming. He, of course, was enjoying himself and showed it by growling and groaning. Her hands roamed up the sides of his abs. He felt his muscles twitching under her touch.

 

She had let go of him and was now fisting the sheets under her. Was she trying to keep from crying out? As many times as he had seen her get herself off, Bazz knew nothing about the woman and the signs she had an orgasm. Well, he did but he didn't know what she was like with a partner. He shifted their bodies, bringing her knees up farther. Every inch was sunk into her and he had to pause for a moment or he was going to come. Slowly, his hands ran over the smooth flesh of her ass as her legs wrapped around his waist.

 

“Nel?” he groaned

 

“Huh?”

 

Bazz had to swallow as she tried to roll her hips. “I don't know how long I can hold off,” he told her.

 

“You don't have to hold off.”

 

“I'm trying to be a fucking gentleman. Did you come?”

 

In addition to her being the first woman inside of his house and his bed, Nel, was the first woman to see him fully naked. He would have considered her to be the first woman he took slowly and gently. Most of the women he had fucked had been quickies with no indication that he cared for their well being or pleasure. He knew what to do but Bazz usually fucked women with his jeans pushed down far enough to enter them and that was it. He took no interest in their bodies beyond that. They were things to push up against walls and over furniture.

 

Her response was to kiss him. Bazz wasn't sure how to take that but he continued his movements inside of her enjoying the slide of hot friction that he felt. But this was nice. Feeling her body move against his, listening to her breathing hitch or a moan come from her mouth. His body against hers. He knew he was close to his own orgasm so he pulled back, using one arm to prop himself up; he didn't want to crush her belly. The other hand was traveling down her body.

 

The way she jerked as he slid his fingers against her clit was satisfying. He wanted to hear her instead of just seeing it on a monitor. Bazz watched her eyes as they flew open, her back arched, and her teeth came down on her lip.

 

It was no use, she screamed his name.

 

Not Bazz.

 

No.

 

Bazzard _._

 

His full name came out of her mouth. It was enough to shatter everything that he was holding onto. That was all it took for him to release weeks and months of wanting into the teal-haired woman beneath him.

 

* * *

 

Nel was trying to catch her breath but it was hard when she had a heavily muscled man on top of her. She used her arm to push him.

 

“What? Don't want to cuddle?”

 

“Dude, you weigh a ton,” Nel said.

 

He laughed at her and then rolled to his back. Bazz pulled her close to his body. Nel made herself comfortable and laid her head on his chest. She could hear how hard his heart was beating. They lay in silence, their breathing slowly returning to normal.

 

Nel took the time to compare her past lovers. Bazz was certainly the biggest out of all of them; long and wide. Some of his technique was clumsy but it had been enjoyable. She had an orgasm. After the entire thing with Grimmjow and Orihime came out, the orgasms she had were less and less frequent. It seemed like the blue-haired man didn't care. Ulquiorra had cared... Bazz had asked about it, so he must have cared.

 

“What?”

 

“Huh?” Nel asked looking up at him.

 

“You look as if you're arguing with yourself about something,” Bazz said to her.

 

She shook her head. “I'm just thinking.”

 

“Bullshit. About what?”

 

“Truthfully?” Nel watched as he nodded. “I was comparing you to everyone else.”

 

This made him raise an eyebrow. “And? How many lovers have you had?”

 

“Four, including you,” Nel said, feeling her face heat up. She bit her lip and untangled herself from Bazz. She didn't want to ask him the same question because she didn't want to hear about the multitude of women that had bowed before him. It wasn't important anyway. She would most likely never see Bazz again after tomorrow morning.

 

“How do I stack up?”

 

“You know, I'm not asking you these questions,” she commented, sitting up. Nel scooted to the edge of the bed then stood.

 

“Holy shit. I knew you were a tattoo artist but I've never seen any ink on you,” Bazz said once she stood up. Nel had swept her hair to the side so that she could braid the tangled mess. “Your back is covered.”

 

When Nel didn't speak, she heard the red-haired man sigh and then the bed protest. He was probably getting up. “I'm asking because I'm curious, Nel.”

 

 _Winner, winner, chicken dinner_ , her brain told her as she felt him move behind her. His warm muscled body pressed against her. “I don't want to hurt your feelings, Bazz,” she said quietly.

 

“So, I'm that horrible?”

 

“No,” Nel replied. She felt stupid but she told him anyway. “You're the biggest I've had.”

 

“Well, no shit. You felt like a virgin.”

 

Blush. She turned around to face him. A quick glance up and down his body revealed he'd gotten rid of the condom. “You came in second with how you got me off.”

 

“Ah,” he said. “Who is first?”

 

“One of my roommates.”

 

“Smurfette?”

 

“No. Um, did you see the short guy walk into Candy Ink?”

 

His eyes widened. “The short guy, looks like Casper and has those lines on his face? The guy who looks like he headlines an emo band?”

 

Nel nodded. “He's the guy who does the “manly” tattoos, I suggested for you. He's very detail oriented.”

 

“Well, I'm sure I could be detail oriented. Just tell me what to do.”

 

The teal-haired woman was going to ask if he was already for another round, but she yawned first. “Maybe in the morning, I'm tired.”

 

Bazz gave her a grin. “Where does the Smurf fall?”

 

“Oh geez.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dua Lipa – Blow Your Mind (Mwah)  
> Girli – Feel Ok Ft. Lethal Bizzle  
> The Weeknd – Earn It  
> Zara Larson – It Ain't My Fault  
> Papa Roach - I Almost Told You That I Loved You  
> XXXTENTACION - SNOW  
> Porcelain Black – Naughty Naughty  
> Girli – Can I Say Baby?  
> Desire – Under Your Spell  
> Angie – Housewife Spliffin'  
> XXXtentacion - You're Thinking Too Much, Stop It  
> Embrace – A Glorious Day  
> Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence  
> Lily Allen – Who'd Have Known  
> Motionless in White – Necessary Evil Ft. Johnathan Davis


	18. Push The Button

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra makes Orihime cry and tells him something really groundbreaking. Grimmjow fights Ichigo. Nel doesn't want to go home and Bazz is gonna kill Tsukishima. Ulquiorra has a really bad day... but it ends up being really awesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> You're welcome!

It was Sunday morning. Grimmjow bitched about Nel not being home and then went to his workshop to work on something. Ulquiorra hadn't been paying much attention. He was too busy watching the redheaded woman as she padded around the kitchen, rubbing her stomach, and singing a silly song. He hadn't shown it but he was smiling. He was happy that was his baby.

 

Now, they were in her room. She was laying on the futon, on her back. He was laying on his stomach beside her. Orihime was telling him all about the first doctor's appointment and the ultrasound in detail. He even got to see what looked like an outline of a foot. It was hard to actually tell what it was.

 

“Seeing it on the screen, it made it real. You could tell it was a baby instead of an abstract blob,” she told him.

 

“They showed you what it was?”

 

“Well, he kind of wouldn't keep his bottom out of the way. Every time the woman tried to measure things, boom, internal ninja butt.”

 

“Internal ninja?”

 

She looked over at him and nodded with a bright smile plastered to her face. “Mmmhmm. That's what it feels like. I mean, I can feel them, but it's faint. The doctor said the movements should get more intense as the weeks go by,” she answered.

 

Ulquiorra was enjoying himself and Orihime's company. It'd been a long time since they had done this without any interruptions. She talked so candidly to him about things; the pregnancy and their son, how much she missed being friends with Nel. She never spoke of her feelings towards him or the blue-haired man.

 

If she asked, he'd tell her that he knew he was very much still in love with her.

 

“How much longer do we have to wait?”

 

“Mmmm, twenty-two weeks?”

 

“Can I?” he asked, rolling to his side. Ulquiorra's pale hand hovered over her stomach.

 

The gentle blush spread across her face and Orihime nodded. He placed his fingers on the mound that was growing. He knew Orihime had never really been skinny but seeing her body fill out again made him happy.

 

“Are you going to, um, breastfeed?”

 

Orihime shrugged. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I think _we_ need to figure out things before we can discuss him.”

 

We? Did that mean—Did that mean Orihime was tired of Grimmjow? Did that mean she was ready to become his again? Ulquiorra decided to be adventurous. He never let his hands travel lower than her belly button, but he decided to see how far he could get today. His fingers spread out and gently stroked the fabric covered area between her hips. The redhead murmured something but he didn't hear her. He was too busy enjoying this moment. He scooted down the futon and pushed Orihime's t-shirt up, then laid his head at the peak of the bump.

 

“What are you doing?” She asked, lifting her head to look at him.

 

Ulquiorra glanced at her. “I'm trying to hear our son.”

 

“That's silly,” Orihime told him.

 

“No, I mean his heartbeat but all I hear is your stomach growling,” he said. His fingers were still touching her belly but they were getting closer to the top of her thighs. She must have noticed where his hand was going, so Ulquiorra decided to change the subject, “Did you eat wasabi recently?”

 

“Ulquiorra.”

 

It didn't work. She didn't take the bait. It made him sigh. “Are you happy?”

 

“I'm happy right now.”

 

“What about with Grimmjow? Are you happy with him?”

 

He watched as she sighed. “I-I-I don't—”

 

“Orihime, I'm only asking because your well being concerns me, Woman,” Ulquiorra stated. “Weren't you happy with me? Didn't I make you happy? Did I do something wrong?”

 

He didn't mean to make her cry but the redhead let out a sob. Ulquiorra quickly gathered her into his arms, running his hands down her back, trying to comfort her. “Orihime, I saw how unhappy you were after Grimmjow's gig. I know I was gone for a long time. I'm sorry. It wasn't by choice. I don't know what I did to push you away or what I did to make you fall out of love with me but I want to start over. We can start over. We could move the entertainment room to that unused tatami room. It could be the nursery. We could take the big bedroom. It'll be you and me.”

 

The young woman sobbed harder. It was wearing him down and breaking his heart. He had put her through so much in such little time. “If you're happy with Grimmjow, I mean truly happy, I could leave. I'll leave and go back to my family—”

 

He was surprised when she pressed her mouth against his. It tripped him up but Ulquiorra quickly recovered. His hands came up to cup her face and he pulled her in deeper. It seemed like it'd been forever since he had touched or kissed her. He was a thirsty man roaming a desert in search of something to quench his thirst.

 

It was him who pulled away from her lips. “Let me, Orihime,” he whispered to her. “I want to be with you. I'll make you my wife—”

 

She gasped as if touching something hot. He looked down at her, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

 

“Wife?” she queried. “Ulquiorra, we're not together.”

 

“Take me back then,” he pleaded. He knew he sounded desperate and what he had been saying to her was the most he had ever said to anyone about his feelings. She needed to know though. “You just said we needed to figure things out. What is there to figure out? _I love you_ , Orihime.”

 

“You wouldn't understand,” she said.

 

“You're using my own words against me? That's what you sound like; you sound like me,” he countered. The memory came up and he could see her pressed against that cinder block wall. The night had been cold. He'd been hungry. “I would understand.”

 

“I can't.”

 

“Why?” Ulquiorra demanded. “Do you love Grimmjow that much? He wants Nel back!”

 

“It's not that easy!”

 

“You'll always be second to her!”

 

“I never fell out of love with you!”

 

He drew further back from her. “What?”

 

Another sob was torn from her. “I'm ashamed of what I did; what happened between Grimmjow and me,” she cried out. Orihime turned her face away from him. Her cheeks were red.

 

Ulquiorra was taken aback by her words. What did she mean? His face took on a look of frustration. “What? I don't understand...”

 

“I still love you,” she replied. “I—we—we can't be together because I'm ashamed of what I did with Grimmjow.”

 

* * *

 

Since the whole incident with Grimmjow basically destroying Yammy's punching bag, he had to find a new gym to work out in. Yammy had banned Grimmjow from his place. The only other place he could go was Kenpachi's dojo.

 

The blue-haired man went there after he returned home on Sunday. Ulquiorra was gone and Orihime was sleeping. Nel still wasn't back. The anger rose up in him. He grabbed sweats and a sleeveless t-shirt, only to climb back into his car. He drove the streets in an irate mood. All he wanted to do was destroy something or someone. It didn't matter if it was a person or an inanimate object. At this point, he didn't really give a fuck; whichever crossed his path first.

 

He checked in with the fat guy at the desk, who was eating fried crackers, then made his way to the locker area. The blue-haired man opened his locker and was in the process of taking off his shoes when the man with long black spikes for hair, found him.

 

“Grimmjow, what are you doing here?”

 

“Jesus, can't I just take my aggression out on something without someone adding to it?” Grimmjow said, practically ripping his t-shirt off his body and flinging it into the locker. He sighed and turned his angry eyes to the other man.

 

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow. “Did you come to get your ass kicked again?”

 

“No. Seriously, I can here to annihilate your punching bag,” he replied.

 

“There's someone already using it,” Kenpachi stated.

 

“I'll wait; thanks for the heads up though.”

 

“Suit yourself, it's Kurosaki.”

 

Grimmjow stewed as he undressed and pulled the pair of sweats on. He used the drawstring to tie them tightly. He didn't bother to put on the other shirt. He felt like fighting and if he had a shirt on, the opponent could use it as something to disable him.

 

He grabbed a clean and small white towel from a stack that the clients of the dojo were allowed to use. Eyes followed his blue head as it walked over to where a young man was wailing on the sand-filled bag.

 

“What the hell are you doing, Traffic Cone?”

 

The orange-haired male spun around, taking a swing at the older man. Grimmjow caught the fist easily in his own.

 

“You,” Ichigo spat out. “Blue-haired asshole who took advantage of Orihime.”

 

“Oh, is that why you're upset? Is it because I'm fucking your high school sweetheart?” Grimmjow retorted. Orihime was his and his alone. He hadn't taken advantage of anyone.

 

He was fucking lying to himself again.

 

“Screw you.”

 

“Nah, gingers don't do anything for me,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Then you should leave Orihime alone,” the other male countered.

 

“You wanna fight, asshole?” the blue-haired man challenged. He saw the orange-haired male's eyes burn to life. It made him grin.

 

“If I win, you leave my friend alone.”

 

“Tch, she ain't your friend. I distinctly remember you calling her a bitch and a slut,” Grimmjow stated.

 

“Feh,” he replied. “She is my friend. She's always been my friend, long before you came around. Orihime called me a couple of weeks ago and apologized. We met up and she answered all the questions I had about you and the other guy.”

 

Grimmjow's jaw clenched. He was not happy about hearing this piece of news. Was this who Orihime had called the day she found out she was pregnant? “You're going to get your ass beat, kid.”

 

His hand shot out and grabbed Ichigo's shirt, pulling the other male to the circle in the middle of the dojo. There was no bowing. No formalities. Fist and blood flew.

 

Soon every person who was in the dojo was surrounding the men. Money exchanged hands over who was going to win. Kenpachi stood at the front of the group, arms folded over his broad chest. Grimmjow knew he was watching both of them carefully. He was observing and measuring them. Either male could be valuable muscle in the future.

 

It took twenty minutes before both men wore themselves out, both collapsing on the mat. The spectators groaned, unhappy that neither man had come out on top.

 

* * *

 

There were two angry people waiting for her when she arrived home Monday afternoon. She didn't care as they stood outside and watched Bazz kiss her in his car. She didn't care as the two men both flipped off the red vehicle. Nel didn't give a fuck as she walked past both of them and into the house.

 

It had been a wonderful couple of days.

 

The next morning he woke her up with fresh fruit in bed. He had taken her out to lunch at some ramen shop. They went shopping. Bazz had tried to buy her some expensive dress but Nel declined his offer. Same thing with jewelry and shoes. She was just enjoying time with him. He seemed like a totally different person in the big city. More social and in his element.

 

Later that night, he took her out to a fancy dinner and dancing. They went back to his apartment and Nel got a chance to explore his body. She had him moaning and groaning within minutes then rode him. They had sex multiple times throughout the night; in every room and on almost every surface.

 

Nel had woke up that morning wrapped in Bazz's arms and she didn't want to come back to this town or this house. She wasn't going to tell him that though. He asked her to not leave after he kissed her in the car. She had to go though; there were clients. She had to work.

 

Now, she wished she had taken him up on the offer. These two were intent on spoiling her good mood.

 

“Where the fuck have you been?” Grimmjow yelled at her as he entered her bedroom.

 

“It's clear where she's been,” Ulquiorra commented as he leaned against the frame of the door.

 

Nel watched as Grimmjow threw a dirty look at the dark-haired man. He then turned back to her. “So, you've fucked him now? Are you satisfied? Are you gonna get rid of him? I mean three fucking days, you were gone. Did you get it out of your system?”

 

“You've broken a rule, Nel.”

 

“Fuck _you_ and fuck your rules, Ulquiorra,” Nel finally spat. She could take Grimmjow's stupid rambling questions but she wasn't going to take shit from that dickhead. She saw the smirk spread across the smaller man's face. She knew what he was thinking. Wasn't going to happen. “Let's talk about all the rules you two have broken.”

 

“You're in the wrong,” Grimmjow replied.

 

“You haven't been?”

 

“Nel, I apologized.”

 

She scoffed. “Right. Sure. An apology can fix everything. Because you can apologize for sabotaging your own four-year relationship, Grimmjow. You can apologize for attacking me like you did. You can apologize for cheating on me with one of my friends.”

 

“I didn't fucking cheat.”

 

“You didn't tell me about her,” Nel screamed. “Had you said something, I wouldn't have taken it like I did. Besides, why do you care? You told me to leave the house. You told me to get out of your life. That's what I'm doing.”

 

Both men looked at her, surprised at her words. It was Grimmjow who found his voice first. “You're leaving the house? _Are you fucking moving in with him already_?” he shouted. "Don't you think that's kinda fast? You barely know this dickhead!"

 

* * *

 

Bazz stalked into the house that sat on the hill in the quiet and nice neighborhood. “TSU! Tsukishima!”

 

He went through every fucking room in that house and his brother wasn't there. That meant he was probably in Utsunomiya. Bazz took his phone out of his pocket and dialed his brother's number. He didn't want to do this anymore. He didn't want to hurt either of the women. Sure, it had been fun in the beginning but this was becoming ridiculous. Especially after what he learned from Nel. She told him about the other woman as they walked through a store that had a huge manga selection.

 

“Bazz, how was your weekend?” His brother asked.

 

“Where the fuck are you?”

 

“Why? I am at _our_ headquarters,” Tsukishima replied.

 

Bazz growled. “I don't want any part of this and neither will you once you hear what I found out.”

 

“Oh, what is that?” came the mocking question.

 

“Inoue is pregnant.”

 

“Both women are pregnant?”

 

“How the fuck—”

 

A sinister chuckle filtered through. “C'mon Bazz. Do you think I wouldn't bug your apartment? I saw everything you did this weekend. I heard it all too.”

 

The mohawked man's stomach dropped to his feet. Tsukishima had put cameras and bugged his apartment? “Tell me you're kidding,” he managed to say after a few seconds of silence.

 

“There's a spoon tattooed on her.”

 

Bazz clenched his teeth. He'd seen glimpses of Nel's tattoos while watching the cameras but he didn't know her entire back had been tattooed. They were all reminders of an ex-boyfriend she said. Bazz knew they were because of Nnoitra Gilga. He asked about various things. Why the number three? Why the spoon? Why the mantis? The chain? The double crescent moon?

 

She answered each question with a simple explanation.

 

The spoon was in the middle of her back right below the point of the three. Not something that was really visible unless Nel was naked.

 

“I think I'll take your silence as a concession and proclaim checkmate,” Tsukishima dryly stated. “How was she by the way?”

 

Bazz hung up the phone. He had a feeling he just got royally fucked.

 

* * *

 

Several days after Nel came back to the house after her weekend with Bazz, Ulquiorra was at Candy Ink and he was sitting in her office, ankle resting on top of his knee and hands folded over his chest. He was watching the teal-haired woman shuffle through papers.

 

She seemed really flustered or annoyed. She kept glancing up at him. It only took thirty minutes before Nel snapped, “What do you want?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Cifer, I'm not in the mood today.”

 

He rolled his eyes. Here they go, he thought. “You are so done with me you're calling me by my surname. Nice, Nel.”

 

Her teeth came together and he could tell she was gritting them. “What the fuck do you want me to say?”

 

“How about apologizing?” Ulquiorra threw it out there. He wasn't expecting Nel to apologize. He was just pissed off at what she had said to him the other day when she came back. He wasn't going to allow someone to say the words fuck and you to him without consequences. So far, he couldn't manage to corner her alone to get her to pay retribution.

 

“What for?”

 

He scoffed. “Uh, let'see... Leading me on, using me, um, being a bitch is on that list—”

 

“Look you're the one who decided we—”

 

“Did you correct me?”

 

“No.”

 

“So, it's your fault too. Not just mine,” he stated. He was feeling a bit like a victim and a bit vindictive. “I helped you out—”

 

“I didn't fucking ask you too! You should not have expected anything from me, Ulquiorra,” Nel said, defending herself.

 

“Did you stop me? Did you say, no, Ulquiorra? I know what you said to me. I remember what you said to me. It was always more; yes; don't stop. You cried out my name more times—”

 

“This. This is why I'm with Bazz. You and Grimmjow are so wrapped up in yourselves and with Orihime that you don't know when to stop,” she fired back at him.

 

Ulquiorra stood and was by Nel's side. The look on her face told him that she didn't register the movement. He turned her chair and pressed his lips hard against hers. She fought against him before he restrained her wrists, holding them above her head.

 

“I told you _not_ to say those two words to me,” Ulquiorra growled at her, his voice low.

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“You just want to push buttons, don't you?” Ulquiorra said. He yanked Nel out of the chair and pressed her against the wall.

 

“ _Fuck you_ ,” she repeated.

 

“C'mon, Nel, keep it up,” he said, his tone full of warning. “I could take you right here. Anyone could walk in and see you on your knees in front of me.”

 

“Touch me and you'll find yourself out of a job, dealing with the police, and getting your ass kicked by Kenpachi and his men,” Nel bitched. Her face said she was angry but Ulquiorra was looking at her eyes. She looked frightened.

 

He managed to sneer at her. “I can't believe you're telling me I can't have you. That you'd much rather have someone you don't know than me.”

 

“You were never an option, Ulquiorra.”

 

_Ouch._

 

Those words stabbed at him. Just like Orihime's had Sunday morning. Why was he always second fiddle? Why did people think they could push him to the side? Two could play this game. He knew he could be just as cruel, if not crueler than anyone on this godforsaken planet. He resorted to a cold, monotone voice and a blank stare.

 

He looked into her hazel eyes. “This is the exact reason I didn't mark you with something that represented me. You didn't deserve it.”

 

With that, Ulquiorra let her go then walked out of the office. He moved down the hallway to his tattooing room. He opened the door, only to find the kid with the pink hair inside and sitting on his table.

 

“Hey, Batsy!”

 

“What the hell are you doing in here?” he growled. The stupid nickname irked him more. The high schooler had spied or eavesdropped one day when Nel was taking pictures of Murcielago, the realistic bat that Orihime had named, tattooed on his thigh. Yachiru teased him about it constantly now. “Didn't I tell you to leave me the fuck alone?”

 

“I'm bored and you don't have any clients today.”

 

His expression was dark as he turned and looked at her. “Do you even know what game you're playing? I can tell you now, leave me alone or you're going to get fucked, Yachiru. I mean that literally and figuratively.”

 

Quickly, before she could respond, Ulquiorra hauled the teen out of his space then gathered his things up. He was going home. He'd done enough damage for the day. He had threatened to fuck Nel and then the pink haired teen.

 

Fuck them. Fuck this place. Fuck everything.

 

He didn't bother telling Nel he was leaving. He left just as the man with a mohawk was walking into the shop. Ulquiorra glared at him before he left.

 

Fuck Bazz Black too, he thought with malice.

 

When he arrived home, he didn't expect anyone to be there. So, Ulquiorra's anger morphed into confusion when he heard a strange buzzing noise and tiny whimpers coming from the big bedroom. His messenger bag fell from his shoulder and he slipped his shoes off, not bothering to put either of them away. He walked down the hall silently and moved the main door to the bedroom to the side just enough to see into the room.

 

Ulquiorra Cifer; male, tattoo artist, almost twenty-three years old, and heir to an engineering empire was gobsmacked to find Orihime sliding a vibrator in and out of herself. There was an instant erection in his jeans.

 

How long had it been since he'd fucked Sung-Sun? Almost a week? He wondered if she would forgive him if it meant he could have sex with her. He'd pay for another couple of hours in love hotel. Ulquiorra had to swallow hard to deal with what was in front of him.

 

He could see everything. Her legs were pointed toward the door, splayed open. He could see the way the toy parted those pink folds. Fuck. He huffed out a breath. She must have heard it because Orihime's head lifted up and his one green eye that was peeking into the bedroom, locked onto her dark eyes. They held the gaze for a few beats before Ulquiorra turned, pressing his back against the wall.

 

His ears strained to hear the buzzing noise but it stopped.

 

“You might as well come in,” she called out.

 

“No,” he replied. “I shouldn't—it was impolite of me.”

 

“I want you... too.”

 

That statement was full of invitation and promise. Ulquiorra was trying hard to be a gentleman and respect boundaries but his cock wanted to adventure down a different path. It was Orihime who ultimately made the decision of what the hell was going to happen. Her naked and pregnant form opened the rice paper screen and grabbed him by the arm. Ulquiorra found himself in that bedroom and pressed against the redhead. Her hands were shoving his shirt up. He threw the fabric onto the floor. The jeans were puddled at his feet.

 

Orihime raised an eyebrow at him. He figured it was due to his choice of underwear that day. Instead of the normal boxers, he wore snug boxer-briefs. The female smirked and he shook his head, wondering if this was some kind of bizarre dream. He'd wake up in bed and none of this would have happened.

 

In the time that Ulquiorra had known the smaller female, she had never been the one to initiate full sexual contact. He felt her hands on his ass.

 

“What—”

 

“Shhh...” she whispered. “I like these. Why haven't I seen them before?”

 

“Er, um, laundry?” Ulquiorra managed to sputter as she slid her hand under the material and groped him. “What's gotten into you?”

 

“I'm not sure,” she said biting her lip. “I've been really horny lately and Grimmjow is being an ass.”

 

“So you want some dick from the first person who comes along?”

 

“No, normally I'm fine using my toys but—” she stopped talking and gazed up at him. He couldn't help but look down at her, even if he was just ogling her tits. “I want you, Ulquiorra.”

 

Yeah, that imagery plus her words made his self-control disappear. Poof, just like that he was on her. His hands slid through her silky copper red locks, tangling the strands before he pulled slightly back, exposing her neck. He wasn't gentle as his mouth hit her neck.

 

The way she gasped made him think she wasn't used to him anymore. It'd been several months since they had sex. Of course, if he thought back further, he never gave her time to get used to him. She wasn't that timid, innocent, and shy soul he knew her to be from almost two years ago. Her hand was wrapped firmly around his cock and was stroking the length of it. She even went as far as to add a twist to the head which made him groan in delight. His hands left her hair in disarray and moved to her chest, thumbs brushing against her pert and pierced nipples. She cried out; it just strengthened his desire to be inside of her.

 

“Woman,” he murmured.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“I want—I need—Hhnng,” he groaned as her hand continued to stroke him. His brain was barely functioning as it was but he managed to ask, “Condoms?”

 

“No, I want to feel you.”

 

Ulquiorra had to swallow at that. He should have just manned up and told her the real reason why he should use protection. The event with his ex still weighed in his mind and left a bad taste in his mouth. He should have never contacted her or done that.

 

As much as he would love to experience the sensation of being inside of her bare... there was also a small problem with not using them. “I don't want to leave evidence of our coupling.”

 

“Sometimes, you talk so strangely.” The way Orihime squeezed him told him to shut the fuck up. That he had no say in this.

 

She pushed him toward the bed and mounted him once he was laying back. They both cried out as Ulquiorra shoved into her wet depths, eyes closed. Orihime didn't waste time; she was rocking on top of him. She rolled her hips in such a way that he had to focus on not coming just then. This must be something Grimmjow had taught her, he thought.

 

He grabbed her thighs only to find her moving his hands to that spot above the cleft of her ass. His green eyes flew open and he stared at her. She gazed back at him, unashamed. What did she want? Her hips lifted her high and she changed her angle. His dick slipped out of her and in between her ass cheeks. She smiled at him as she grabbed his cock and sank down on to him again.

 

"Oops."

 

“Orihime, what do you want?”

 

“You,” she breathed. “Inside me.”

 

His brow furrowed. He was inside of her. Did she mean—Did she want—? “Where's that toy you had?”

 

“It's too big—”

 

“Not any bigger than me—”

 

“I'd much rather you just—”

 

“What? You want me to fuck you in the—”

 

“Shhh.”

 

The next few minutes were filled with the sounds of labored breathing as they moved together. He sat up, surprising her. “I could,” he said to her then kissed her. “I want to.”

 

She bit her lip and nodded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madonna – Human Nature  
> Fall Out Boy – Favorite Record  
> Aesthetic Perfection – Intro (Spill Some Blood)  
> Seether – Broken  
> Lund - Fall Away  
> Prodigy – Breathe  
> Swoon - I'm not okay (ft. poppy tears)  
> Lil Yung Pharaoh - I hate you, but I love you  
> Dandelion Hands - I Like You  
> Fall Out Boy – The Mighty Fall  
> Marilyn Manson – Great Big White World  
> Boondox – Monster


	19. Breakfast in Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um, Grimmjow catches Ulquiorra and Orihime... The redhead invites him to join in on their fun which displeases Ulquiorra. Nel and Bazz talk. She's trying to avoid issues; he wants to take her to Tokyo again. Then Ulquiorra sees Nel bringing someone home for the night... It's not pretty the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Uh... a threesome takes place.

Orihime found the tube of lube but she knew Grimmjow had no condoms. Why would he need them? Both of the women in the house were already pregnant. She turned back to Ulquiorra and shook her head.

 

The green-eyed man gave her a shrug. His facial expression told her he had expected this of Grimmjow too. He beckoned her to come closer and she listened. He took the tube from her but Orihime didn't watch as he used the stuff. A blush was spreading across her face. She felt promiscuous for asking him to do what she wanted. Orihime wouldn't let Grimmjow do it to her because he was rough. When she had thought about it, he didn't even use the clear substance that would make it easier. He used a spit covered finger to enter her backside while he was still having sex with her.

 

It had hurt and Orihime never broached the subject with him again.

 

“You sure you want to do this?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

He broke through her thoughts and she nodded. He didn't seem very confident but he motioned for her to get on her knees on the bed. They had learned from the first couple of times that in order for Ulquiorra to come like this, he couldn't touch or stimulate her in any way. It was too much.

 

He teased her with the vibrator anyway, before leaving the toy inside of her. She felt the bed shift and felt his fingers dip into her body. Orihime had to press her chest and face against the mattress of the bed to muffle the moan that came from her mouth. Ulquiorra was now pressing inside of her slowly.

  
  
“You move,” he said in a strained voice.

 

So, Orihime slowly started rocking her hips back to him. She controlled the pace. Perhaps, if she had been thinking clearly, she would have taken this activity to his room.

 

* * *

 

When he got home, he saw the bedroom door was open. That made his brow furrow in confusion. The hall door was never left open. Then he saw Ulquiorra's bag on the floor. Curiosity got the best of Grimmjow as he walked towards the room.

 

Grimmjow knew that was Ulquiorra's pale ass standing naked in his bedroom. He also knew that was his girlfriend who was also naked on all fours in front of him. He clenched his jaw, fist tightening. He wondered how long this had been going on.

 

“What the fuck are you two doing?” he asked in a composed voice. It was a lot calmer than he felt. He felt a molten rage inside of him.

 

He watched Orihime gasped and tried to pull away from the pale man who just slammed into her, holding her against his body. This made her yelp. The head of dark hair swung around and looked balefully at him. Grimmjow met the stare with equal malice.

 

“I asked,” he said.

 

Of course, Ulquiorra had asked. Fucking jerk.

 

“Do—do you want to join us?”

 

Grimmjow's gaze automatically dropped to the redhead who was staring at him with big eyes. Had she just asked him if he wanted to—She wanted to have a threesome? Did she understand what the meant and what it entailed?

 

“No,” Ulquiorra stated, turning his attention back to the woman. “He doesn't want to join us. He's going to leave the room and we're going to continue this.”

 

“Ulquiorra, I want to know what it feels like,” she scowled. “You said I had to get used—”

 

The man with sky blue hair studied the two as they argued. He was getting hard. Just the idea... It was enough to spur him to take a step into the room. He wanted to do this. It had been something he'd been struggling with ever since Ulquiorra put the idea into his head. Then again, he had not been gentle with Orihime since learning that she had let Ulquiorra fuck her months ago. He could say he was punishing her in a way.

 

Yeah, he was a dick. 

 

He made his way into the room, peeling off his t-shirt, jeans were gone and his boxers were history along with his socks. Grimmjow walked up behind Ulquiorra and wrapped his arms around the man's chest.

 

“What the—” the dark-haired man started to say.

 

Grimmjow's head was pointed down and he saw what was going on. Orihime was stretched—Holy fuck. He shifted closer to Ulquiorra which caused the smaller man's hips to move. This made the woman moan.

 

“You're in my spot,” Grimmjow murmured in a sing-song voice into Ulquiorra's ear.

 

“Go to hell.”

 

The blue-haired man reached down and forced Ulquiorra's head up. His mouth came down on those pale lips, kissing the small man, pushing his tongue into the other's mouth. “Don't be stingy, Ulq,” he replied.

 

The other man said nothing but kept pushing into the woman. Without warning, he reached between their bodies. Grimmjow watched as Ulquiorra pulled a vibrator from Orihime. The woman cried out. It was like they had a routine. Hmph. He really wanted to know how long these two had been doing this behind his back but he didn't want to spoil the mood and get into a fight. Besides, grinding his dick against Ulquiorra's ass was feeling pretty good.

 

“That's your spot,” Ulquiorra said, throwing the toy onto the bed.

 

“Maybe I want this,” Grimmjow said, grabbing Ulquiorra's ass cheek with one big hand.

 

“I told you,” the dark-haired man stated. “ _Earn it_.”

 

“You're an asshole, Ulquiorra.”

 

* * *

 

Somehow, they picked her up without dropping her and with Ulquiorra still inside her. She watched Grimmjow settle himself onto the bed and then he was positioning himself against her slit. Orihime's eyes closed tightly and she gave a low moan as her body was entered again.

 

How—how had Nel dealt with this? She thought, the question rolling around in her mind. Her head dropped to Grimmjow's chest. This was going to be too much. She could already feel the orgasm beginning. The spring was coiling tighter, waiting to release. It wouldn't take long.

 

“I think we broke her,” she could hear Grimmjow say.

 

“She gets sensitive if she's stimulated too much,” Ulquiorra replied. He gave her bottom a squeeze. “Just give her a minute.”

 

“You had a vibrator in her. How did she not get over stimulated?”

 

“It wasn't turned on.”

 

Finally, Orihime felt herself settle fully on Grimmjow's lap. “Would you two shut up?” she asked with a ragged breath.

 

It was probably the wrong thing to say because both started moving together and separately all at once. Their rhythms of their bodies matched at times but when they did she began emitting a high pitched keening noise. It was her only way of signaling that she was going to come.

 

After ten minutes of both men rocking their hips against her and their heavy breathing, Ulquiorra started going faster. His hands moved from her hips to her breasts. Grimmjow had to speed up his thrusts just to keep up. She cried out but it seemed like no one was listening to her. It was like a rubber band pulled too far back that was going to snap either way. The warm feeling that was building between her legs kept was increasing in intensity. Her body started tensing, the muscles in her legs first then her stomach.

 

Her body was quivering and if they didn't stop, it was going to be all over. Orihime knew what was going to happen. She was not prepared for it though.

 

The orgasm ripped through her body with more pleasure that seemed necessary. It made her body ripple in an uncomfortable way. Her skin prickled. Orihime cried out again and again, but both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow kept pushing and pulling into her.

 

Grimmjow was the one to come inside her first, groaning loudly. Ulquiorra was next by a few seconds; the only indication he came was the way he squeezed her tits and his breathing. She felt the dark-haired man collapse against her back. She was sweating and her hair was sticking to her in an annoying way.

 

She could have fallen asleep like this but she felt Grimmjow slipping out of her and then Orihime was just wet and sticky. She pushed herself up which was kind of hard to do since Ulquiorra was still against her.

 

“Huh?” was the only sound he made before he pulled out of her and then started walking out of the bedroom.

 

He was going to clean up, Orihime thought, watching his butt as he moved toward the door. She should have gone and done the same thing but she rolled over until her back was on the bed. She looked over at the man lying beside her. Grimmjow had his arm over his face.

 

“What?” he sighed.

 

“I didn't say anything.”

 

“You're looking at me.”

 

Orihime narrowed her eyes and then saw one brilliant blue eye peeking out at her from under his arm. She turned her face away from him, “You're home early.”

 

Grimmjow laughed. He didn't sound amused though. “That's all you can say?”

 

“What?” she said. “I wanted it. You're too busy mooning over Nel.”

 

“You've been fucking him behind my back, haven't you?” he asked. "How long has this been going on?"

 

She shook her head. “This was the first time in months,” Orihime replied. She bit her lip, knowing she was going to have to talk to him about this eventually. She didn't want to because she knew what would happen. The tension in the house was already thick and heavy. Anymore confrontation would smother them all. “I've—”

 

“I don't want to hear it. You know he's been fucking whores, don't you?” Grimmjow's voice was now angry.

 

Orihime's head whipped back to look at Grimmjow, her dark eyes wide. “What?”

 

“He's been paying for escorts since Nel dropped him.”

 

“Ulquiorra wouldn't do that, Grimmjow.”

 

“I would and I did. It was only once and the most recent incident wasn't a whore.”

 

The man and woman sat up, seeing the dark-haired man standing in the doorway, now clad in a pair of sweatpants. Ulquiorra blew some hair out of his face as he walked into the room. She watched as he picked up his clothing.

  
“It was one of my ex-girlfriends,” the pale man said before leaving the room with his discarded clothes.

 

* * *

 

Bazz sat on the massage table, trying to keep perfectly still. Nel was finishing his sugar skull and crossbones; the one with the roses for eyes and the bullet hole in the middle of its head. He tried not to flinch as the needle dug into an area that made his teeth ache for some reason. Sigh.

 

“I'm almost done,” she murmured. The sharp exhale of breath must have given him away.

 

“It's fine.”

 

It took another half-an-hour before she was spraying that cold, soapy liquid in the bottle onto his arm and dabbing at the fresh ink. She slowly spread a bandage over the area when she was done and then applied the medical tape.

 

“Do you want aftercare instructions?” she asked.

 

“No,” Bazz said, watching her start to clean up the mess. She broke the machines down and replaced the covers going over the housing and cords. The needles went into a red box; ink cups and paper towels into the trashcan. The final thing she threw away was the black gloves.

 

The metal stand was sprayed down with some kind of cleaner. All activity stopped when she looked up to see him still sitting on the table. “I'm done. You can put your clothes on,” Nel said.

 

He grinned at her. “Maybe I don't want to get dressed just yet.”

 

“I'm at work, Bazz.”

 

“Didn't stop you before. What's wrong?”

 

She shook her head and put the things in her hands down; the bottle of cleaner on the table where her supplies were and the paper towels into the trash. “It's not important.”

 

“Bullshit.” He stood up and reached for Nel. She didn't protest when he did so. “Nel, c'mon. I'm not those assholes. You can tell me what's wrong.”

 

“It's nothing.”

 

Bazz looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. She stared back at him. “Stop. Bullshitting. Me. I'm not gonna fight with you. I'm not gonna play games. Either you tell me or you don't.”

 

He heard the sigh. “It has to do with Ulquiorra—I don't know. I said something to him that I knew I shouldn't have and he threatened me.”

 

The red-haired man automatically bristled. Did someone dare to threaten his woman? Whoa! Wait a minute; his woman? What kind of thought was that? Was Nel his woman? A weekend tryst didn't really count as a relationship. Tsukishima's words came back and Bazz got angrier. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her body, tighter. _Nel was his woman now_. The blue-haired guy cast her off and he was going to pick up the pieces.

 

Yeah, if he felt jealousy, she was his.

 

“Tch, spineless bastard; that's what that guy is. I dare him. I dare anyone to touch you, I'll fucking—Anyone hurts you, I will rip them apart.”

 

She gasped as Bazz tilted her head up. His pale eyes darkened as he watched her bite her bottom lip. How was it one woman drove him to such depths of craziness? No one in his past had elicited this kind of response. They were notches in the bedpost. Nel was not a notch. From the moment he saw her in that cultural magazine he felt attracted to her; enamored by her. She looked like someone who had been through too much but was still alive. She had survived. Bazz needed someone with that kind of strength. He wanted someone who could put up with him and this whole lifestyle that he'd been born into.

 

The teal-haired woman was the one to close those few inches of space by standing on her tiptoes. Bazz closed his eyes once their lips met. His hands were on her waist sliding down the curve of her back before gripping her ass. When her lips moved to his neck, he tilted his head letting her do what she would. He groaned as he felt her teeth against his neck, and his heart rate picked up.

 

Bazz found himself turning and then backing her into the massage table, lifting her up onto it, so he could stand up straight and kissed her fully.

 

“Bazz,” Nel managed to say as she pulled away from him.

 

“What?” The way her legs curled around him told him everything that he needed to know. “Do we need to make another trip to Tokyo tonight?”

 

She gave a small whine. “Come home with me,” Nel said.

 

He gave a chuckle and looked at her like she was insane. “Enemy territory. I like having my balls intact,” he told her while eyeing her. “I _need_ them.”

 

* * *

 

Neither of them protested when he threw his pillow onto the bed. He was sleeping in the big bedroom with Orihime and Grimmjow. Well, he was supposed to be sleeping. The clock showed it was almost eleven at night. So, Ulquiorra was the only one up when he saw Nel walking through the garden followed by a tall man with an even taller hairstyle.

 

His murky green eyes narrowed.

  
  
Was she bringing him here; inside the house?

 

It was on the tip of his tongue to wake Grimmjow up but he decided to watch. The couple entered Nel's room through the outside door. Shit was going to hit the fan in the morning if he was still in there. Ulquiorra knew that Grimmjow hated the other man with a fiery passion. It wasn't like he cared what Nel did. He was over it.

 

He knew who he wanted to be with. She was laying right beside him. There was even a pillow between her and Grimmjow. She didn't ask about the encounter with his ex-girlfriend. She just planted herself on him when he laid down. Grimmjow watched. He observed and jerked off as the woman brought herself off on Ulquiorra's dick. The blue-haired man had stared at both of them. He seemed to accept Ulquiorra was now the alpha male and he was going to have Orihime.

 

He nestled beside the redhead and molded his body around hers. He felt happy for the first time in a while. He had what he wanted. His woman was back in his arms. They were going to be bringing a child into the world in a couple of months. This was good. This was bliss.

 

Ulquiorra should have known better.

 

A finger was poking him awake. A finger. Was poking him. In the head. He opened his eyes to glare blearily up at the person who was disturbing his sleep.

 

“The fuck, Grimmjow?”

 

“There's a car parked behind yours.”

 

“So? What time is it?” He said propping himself up on an elbow.

 

The blue-haired man scoffed. “Tch, I don't know. It's seven in the morning.”

 

Ulquiorra rubbed his eyes. He sighed. Why would he care if there was a car parked behind his? He waved the man off and shifted so he could snuggle closer to the warm body beside him. He sleepily brought his hand up to caress the soft flesh of Orihime's breast.

 

“It's a fucking red sports car.”

 

“Grimmjow.”

 

“What?”

 

“Go back to sleep.”

 

“I can't. Get up and come see this.”

 

Ulquiorra's eyes flew open as the blanket that was over him and Orihime was gone; ripped violently away. “You fucker,” he stated in an incensed tone as he sat up. His eye twitched before leveling a deadly glare at the other man. “I don't need to see anything. I know who is here. Just let it go. You're not with her.”

 

“Just because I said I wanted her out of the house and my life didn't mean I meant it!” Grimmjow shouted, shaking the fabric in his hand.

  
“Give me the blanket back.”

 

“Get the fuck out of my bed.”

 

If he was more awake, Ulquiorra would have kicked Grimmjow in the nuts. “If I leave this bed, I'm taking _her_ with me and you can be all lonely and cold in this huge thing. Or you can shut up and get back in.”

 

“You both need to shut up,” muttered Orihime, sitting up. She held out her hand and motioned for the blanket. Grimmjow didn't move, her hand flapped open and shut rapidly in a 'give me' motion.

 

“Give the pregnant woman her blanket. I think it'd be a wise choice, so we don't die,” Ulquiorra said. He watched as Orihime grew impatient and finally huffed. She grabbed the blanket on Grimmjow's side of the bed and rolled into it. He protested this action, “I'm cold too, Woman.”

 

She snorted and wiggled into the fabric cocoon she had made. “Get your own,” she said after yawning. “The next person who wakes me up is going to get slapped.”

 

Ulquiorra ended up getting out of bed and putting on his sweatpants. He followed Grimmjow out into the entrance hall and saw the bright red sports car sitting behind his black Honda. He merely shrugged and padded to the bathroom. Grimmjow was still staring at it when he exited. “Does it bother you that much?” the dark-haired man asked.

 

“No.”

 

“You're such a liar.”

 

“Does it bother you for the past couple months I've been fucking Orihime?”

 

Ulquiorra opened his mouth then promptly closed it. He was about to open his mouth again when a sliding screen opened and closed. They looked to the end of the hall where a man with red hair shuffled past them in just boxers. Both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at each other, the latter raising an eyebrow at the former. The look on Grimmjow's face wasn't the friendliest at the moment and the dark-haired man could see the other male's fists opening and closing.

 

“Grimmjow.”

 

“What?” he growled out.

 

“Let it—and there he goes.”

 

He watched the blue-haired fellow stomp to the end of the hall. He was making his way to Nel's room. The screaming started and Ulquiorra hung outside of the laundry room. Bazz came out of the bathroom.

 

“Do I want to know?” Bazz asked in a sleepy voice as he drew near the smaller man.

 

“Probably not,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“You're number one? Ulquiorra? Right?”

 

“What?” the dark-haired man turned his head to look up at the red-haired male.

 

“Nothing. Shit, do you think they're gonna take long? I want to go back to sleep.”

 

“ _Sleep_? I think you should probably get dressed and _leave_.”

 

This made Bazz chuckle. “I'm not going in there.”

 

A naked Nel managed to manhandle Grimmjow out of her room a few moments later. The two men in the hallway said nothing as the teal-haired woman kicked the blue-haired man in the ass. Ulquiorra had to wince the way woman's foot connected with flesh. The sharp smack had him cringing.

 

“Stay the hell out of my room,” she spat. “Keep it up, Grimmjow. I'll make your wishes come true.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fall Out Boy – Just One Yesterday  
> H.E.R – Say It Again  
> Demxnita – Words I Should Have Said  
> lontalius – Comfortable  
> Shinigami – Ghosts  
> Honne – Church Rave In Miami  
> Demxnita – I Will Never Be A Memory  
> Yesterday - I Love It When You Walk Away  
> Shinigami – Lite Brite  
> Honne - Woman  
> Shinigami – Nobody


	20. Contracts and Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orihime is being bitchy but Nel wants to talk. Grimmjow is offered his dreams but gets the surprise of his life. Tsukishima is a sadistic bastard (no surprise there). Nel gives Ulquiorra another tattoo and they talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Mmmmm nothing to note.

Orihime pouted as she sat at the dining table eating a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich. Her tastes over the past couple of months had changed and she had to lay off the wild food concoctions because she got wicked heartburn. It was Rangiku who told her that meant the baby had a lot of hair.

 

This thing had better come out looking like an Ewok, she thought.

 

That silly idea didn't make her feel better.

 

Grimmjow shouting at Ulquiorra had woken her up that morning. He was bitching about the red sports car that sat in the driveway. Nel had Bazz over again. She rolled her eyes.

 

It put her in a bad mood.

 

It didn't help that they fought over her. Who was going to cuddle? Who was going to stick their penis in her first? _UGH_. It'd only been a week since they had their little sex party but for her, it'd been a week-long nightmare to see which idiot could outdo the other. Not that she minded that much; she'd been having some pretty awesome sex with Ulquiorra. Grimmjow sang to her and was awfully romantic.

 

Her mood wasn't helped by the fact that she had the class that she hated today. Orihime was trying to get up the courage to actually talk to Bazz but whenever she felt like she could face him, Nel would be around or Grimmjow would glare at the man. She wanted to ask him about Tsukishima. She wanted to know if the other guy knew why his brother kept bothering her.

 

It'd been small things like snagging a seat right beside her in class. It'd been him studying her when he thought she wasn't looking. If he felt really adventurous, he'd touch her and she'd run away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Orihime was tired of it.

 

She was lost in thought, so she didn't hear people walking in the entrance hall. The redhead made a noise when Bazz and Nel practically stumbled into the dining area.

 

“Oh,” Nel said, looking up at the other woman. “I didn't know you were home.”

 

Her dark eyes looked to the side where the couple was standing, clad in very little clothing. Nel had on a white satin or silk robe, Orihime wasn't sure. Bazz was standing behind her in a pair of boxers. Orihime shrugged, “Where else would I be?” she asked.

 

“I thought you would have left for university.”

 

She shrugged again. It didn't seem like today was going to be a good day. “I don't feel like going,” she answered.

 

There was whispering but Orihime just stared at her sandwich, picking apart the bread. She caught snippets of the conversation. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop.

 

“I'm _hungry_...”

 

“Bazz, the only thing you're hungry for is me. I'll see you tonight...”

 

“I'm _coming_ here...”

 

“If we keep pushing the issue, Grimm's gonna implode...”

 

More whispering. Finally, Orihime heard someone walk away. She hoped it was both of them but it wasn't her luck. Nel plopped herself down on the opposite side of the table.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“Huh?” the redhead looked up. She didn't want to talk to Nel. She didn't want to talk to anyone. They would tell her it was pregnancy hormones making her crazy. Tsukishima's constant harassment was happening but she didn't feel like she could say anything. “Nothing's wrong.”

 

“You are gonna try to bullshit me?”

 

“ _We_ are not friends, so pardon me if _I_ don't want to talk to _you_ about things that are bothering me in _my_ life,” Orihime said in a snippy tone.

 

Nel leaned back and Orihime could see that the woman wasn't trying to hide the pregnancy anymore. Her robe was stretched across her abdomen. “I see the lovely pregnancy hormones haven't gone away. Everything is good in the love area of your life. You got both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. Everything should be peachy.”

 

“I'm just waiting for the inevitable meltdown, that's going to happen.”

 

“It is Grimmjow, I mean what could you expect out of him? He's the worlds biggest toddler,” Nel replied, shrugging. “Orihime, come on. Please talk to me or talk to someone because whatever is going on will eat you alive. Trust me, I know. I lived with secrets for years before anyone found out what kind of skeletons I kept in my closets.”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow's face was wrinkled in confusion as he listened to Zommari talk to him over the phone. He wasn't stringing the words together all that well and what the man was saying really didn't make sense. The man had called while he was measuring out wood to build a bookcase.

 

“Hold up, wait a minute,” the blue-haired man objected. “You're saying that someone recorded our show and put it on the internet. Then some music guy got a hold of you through some social media account that you set up in the band's name—”

 

The black man sighed on the other end of the line. “He's an American record executive that is scouting for new talent. He wants to talk to you and me.”

 

“I didn't give anyone permission to record me singing. What about Aaron? What about Dordoni? Don't you think they should be part of this too?”

 

“Aaron won't do it because of his face. He says you can't get self-esteem back when your face has scrapped the pavement. He beats himself up constantly about it yet continues to drink and pushes people away. Dordoni is an ass and would handle this poorly.”

 

Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair. “We are two fucking drummers, Zommari. I don't know how to play the guitar. When I learned how to drum, I barely knew the ass up end of a tea kettle.”

 

“We'd be two guys with a guitar and a drumset. I know how to play the guitar,” Zommari replied. Grimmjow grunted. “Look this is an opportunity to do something with your life. Do you really want to play in a run-down bar and build furniture for the rest of your days?”

 

“I have a shit singing voice.”

 

“You need to get your head out of your ass and listen to yourself,” the other man said on the other end of the line. “Look, my wife wants a divorce and if I'm ever to see my daughter again, I'm going to need money. Lots of it. If you don't want to do this, I'll take the chance for myself.”

 

The blue-haired man groaned and rubbed his face over his eyes. The money would be a great thing. If he had money he could stop driving that jalopy he owned and trade up to something better. Maybe Nel would pay attention to him if he had money. “Zom, becoming famous is a whole different Pandora's Box, ya know?”

 

“You're young; I'm almost thirty. I kinda want to do this or stop messing with the low level.”

 

“You're almost a doctor!”

 

Another deep bass sigh. “You in or not?”

 

Grimmjow brought a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed the skin there. He noted that his hair was way to damn long and needed cut. “I don't know man; I'd have to talk to Nel and Orihime—”

 

“No, you don't. This is your life decision.”

 

“Fine Zom, text me the details. I'll hear what this guy says and then we'll see where it goes.”

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima glared at the screen. He was scrubbing through footage from the last week. It was the same old shit, just a different day. Until he got to where Orihime was laying on that massive bed, getting herself off. He shifted marginally in the chair. Over the past month, he'd seen a lot of this going on. It affected him none.

 

This was just work.

 

At least that's what he told himself. He was not interested in the woman's body. Except he could feel himself becoming aroused at the images. It'd happened before. He would sit there with a straight and deadpan expression. He'd watch all of these segments in their entirety until she came then he would continue to fast forward the feed.

 

He saw her pause and figured she was done but was surprised that she got off the bed. In an instant, Cifer was back in the room and quickly stripped down to bare skin. He watched it all. Tsukishima saw the hesitation. He saw the concern. He watched the redhead rummage through the dresser in the room.

 

His expression got dark. The normally mocking mouth curled into a sneer.

 

Tsukishima was getting angry.

 

His mood wasn't helped by the fact the man with blue hair walked into the room stripping. All three of them were having sex. From where the camera was positioned, Tsukishima could see where the dark-haired man was burying himself. Normally, he wouldn't bother with watching the camera feeds but Orihime hadn't been in class today. It made him worry, especially with the news of her pregnancy. He couldn't believe that the young woman was dumb enough to get herself with a child.

 

It was okay. It was a small bump in the grand scheme of things.

 

Tsukishima knew several doctors who could perform a favor for the right amount of money.

 

If he calculated it right, Nel would give birth in the spring. He probably would implement his plan before university went on break which was in two weeks. He'd corner the redhead and tell her what the stipulations were. She would come with him.

  
  
Holding the trigger to your boyfriend's death was not something to play with. That's what Orihime had her finger on. She was solely responsible for whether or not Cifer lived.

 

That sadistic thought made him smile.

 

But it was short-lived because when Tsukishima logged onto the cameras in Bazz's apartment, instead of images of his brother's bedroom, a message popped up and said SYSTEM OFFLINE. It meant Bazz had found the camera and taken it out. Knowing his hot-headed brother, the man had probably destroyed a fifty-thousand yen camera.

 

He set his mouth in a straight line. He still had the footage from that night. He could simply take it to their father who would see that the woman was pregnant. Tsukishima could pass the pregnancy off as Bazz's fault. Nel would be taken out; Aizen would make Bazz do the honors. That wasn't his plan though. He wanted to break people, not eliminate them.  

 

He sighed as he switched back to the house. The place was completely empty.

 

* * *

 

If Zommari and Grimmjow thought that the person they were meeting was a male named Sloane Parker, they were sorely mistaken. Grimmjow looked annoyed at Zom as the woman walked up to the table. “Are you fucking kidding me?” The blue-haired man said as he picked up the bottle of beer in front of him.

 

“I am not fucking kidding you, Mr. Jaegerjaquez. Sloane Parker, at your service,” the brunette said, holding out her hand to each man. “By the way, that is a mouthful of a last name.. We can work with the first name. Just ax the jow off and you can be... Let's see... Grimm Jaeger or Grimm Jacks. That would be a nice name for a band.”

 

“Uh, lady, we just met you and haven't agreed to whatever bullshit you're peddling—”

 

Zommari interrupted Grimmjow. “Mrs—”

 

“Miss.”

 

“Apologies. Miss Parker, please excuse Grimmjow. We're happy to hear your proposal. Please, do not be offended by his words. He's normally this abrasive.”

 

“Look here—”

 

“It's fine, Mr. Rureaux. Grimmjow's not the first ass I've run into in this business. He won't be the last,” the woman sat down and pulled out a file folder and set it on the table. “Does your hair do that on its own?”

 

Grimmjow thought he couldn't get more irritated and boy was he wrong. “What are you talking about?”

 

“That Goku thing.”

 

“What? What is a Goku thing?”

 

“Nothing, it's from an anime they show in America; at least they showed it when I was in high school. I thought from the video I saw that it was a wig. I expected you to look more Japanese,” Sloan commented.

 

“You're a rude bit—”

 

“He's part American and he dyes it that color. It's been that color since I've known him,” Zom said before Grimmjow could open his mouth very much.

 

Sloane turned her attention towards Zommari and Grimmjow practically shoved his beer bottle into his mouth. “Are you the mouthpiece for him?”

 

“Grimmjow is offensive, I'm damage control,” he replied.

 

She waved a dismissive hand. “So, we are just working with you two. I do wish the Spanish guy would have gotten on board. It would have made my job much easier because now I have to find you guys a guitarist or a bassist.”

 

“Zom can play guitar. I can play the drums,” Grimmjow muttered. “We both sing.”

 

“You didn't tell him of the plans, did you?” Zommari shook his head in reply to Sloane's question. “Okay, well, Mr. Jaeger you will be the new lead singer for Vapor Atrophy, while Zom will be either the guitarist or drummer. It's up to him.”

 

“Me?”

 

The brunette nodded. “You have sex appeal from what I saw on the video that I was given the link to. Women were swooning all over you and your physique. The comment section was a field day. They were all certainly jealous of whoever you were dedicating those songs too.”

 

Grimmjow opened and closed his mouth. This wasn't right. “I'm very much taken,” he snapped.

 

“Doesn't matter. You're still sex on legs and you'll sell because you can sing without all the flashy crap that music comes with today. Do either of you write any music or lyrics?”

 

“Hold up, you're acting like we've agreed to this!”

 

“Fine, since you want to cut to the chase, here are the terms I am willing to offer...”

 

* * *

 

Nel sighed as she looked at her phone. Her eyes rolled so hard she swore she saw her brain. Grimmjow was calling her and she had no idea why he would want to talk to her. He probably had a foot-shaped bruise on his muscled ass.

 

She had planned for Bazz to be gone from the house after the third time that they had sex but she was exhausted and so was he. It was nice to wake up beside him again. Strange but nice. He nuzzled her awake and then asked where the bathroom was located.

 

In hindsight, she should have shown him around the house before they started at each other but he had been teasing her since she had gotten done with work and the late dinner. Nel had been about ready to mount him in the car.

 

She didn't think anyone else would be up at that hour. Nel had snuggled back into the warm blankets until she heard Grimmjow's voice and it's accusing tone. She didn't even blink an eye as she rolled out of bed; naked and smelling like Bazz. They screamed horrible things to each other. It hurt just thinking about the words they had cut each other with, trying to see who could hurt more.

 

It all came to a head when Grimmjow grabbed her and pulled her close to him. That made her absolutely livid and she started beating the shit out of him; her hands forming a fist and pummeling him. After the kick in the pants, she stomped back to her room and Bazz followed her.

 

He started getting dressed and Nel just watched him as she sat on her bed.

 

“Sorry,” he murmured to her. He bent down and caught her chin. He kissed her lightly. “Number one says I have to go home.”

 

She had laughed and promised him that she would text him later.

 

The phone rang again and with an irritated sigh, she pushed the button and held the phone to her ear. “What?”

 

“You busy?”

 

“I'm incredibly busy. So busy, I can't talk,” she deadpanned.

 

“Yeah? What are you _doing_ then?”

 

“I'm _waiting_ for my next client,” Nel replied. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to see Grimmjow. “What did you want?”

 

Nel looked up as the door to her office opened and Grimmjow stood there with his phone to his ear. She dropped hers and ended the call. “I told you I was busy,” she stated.

 

“This is kind of important,” Grimmjow replied. He walked over to her desk and laid a packet of papers on her desk.

 

Her face showed she was confused and she cocked an eyebrow up. “What's this?”

 

He sighed. “It's a contract.”

 

“For who?”

 

“Vapor Atrophy has caught the eye of some big shot record company. They're thinking of expanding their base to Japan since they did well in America and Europe,” he said in a quiet tone.

 

Nel's mouth dropped open and she was stunned. He was—the band was going to be famous? Quickly, she recovered. “And? Do you think I care? You told me to get out of your life Grimm. That's what I'm doing but at the same time, you think you can be all up in mine.”

 

“He shouldn't have been in the house.”

 

“Who I have in my room is none of your concern! Why are you bothering me with this?” Nel said throwing the stapled papers back at him.

 

“Because, I'd be leaving, recording; a country tour, maybe even a worldwide thing. I don't know. I've not read it all yet,” Grimmjow answered.

 

“Okay?”

 

“I'd send you money—”

 

“I don't need you or your money. Why would you send me money?”

 

“Our daughter? You know, the infant you're gestating?” he asked in a rather sarcastic tone.

 

“Tch,” Nel scoffed. “That's a big word. Still, I don't need you or your money. I think I found a suitable replacement for you.”

 

“Yeah, Elmo's a _great_ choice for a parent. He's only using you.”

 

Nel stood up. She was going to go attack Grimmjow but she didn't want to get worked up. It wasn't worth the repercussions. “I meant myself! I can take care of my daughter by myself!”

 

With that Grimmjow shrugged, folded up his papers and walked out of her office. The teal-haired woman sank down into her office chair and tried as hard as she could to not let the tears slip out of her eyes. She was shaking from the effort when Ulquiorra walked into her office.

 

* * *

 

The pair was silent as Nel prepared her workspace. She set out packaged needles and ink cups. She readied a stack of paper towels and her bottle of green soap, hanging the bottle from the side of the metal stand. She turned to Ulquiorra, who was sitting on the table in her room.

 

“Cifer,” Nel began.

 

He interrupted her. He didn't know what she was going to say but he was here as a client, not an enemy or former lover. “I am in not here in any capacity but as a customer. I will be paying for services rendered with cash, not sexual favors.”

 

That was a dick move for him because the first and only time he'd tattooed Nel, he ended up fucking her afterward. They'd never talked about that moment.

 

“You didn't wear a condom then.”

 

“What?”

 

“That's the one time you didn't wear a condom.”

 

He scoffed. It would figure she would remember something like that. “I think you were already pregnant during that time.”

 

She shrugged. “Dunno.”

 

Ulquiorra took a deep breath to keep his cool. He didn't need to be getting upset at her at the moment. “Here is the design,” he said opening a folder and extracting a piece of transfer paper with a drawing already on the surface. He made sure he came prepared.

 

“Isn't this—”

 

“It is.”

 

“Does she know you're getting this?”

 

“No. It's a lot better than the tattoo I wanted,” he replied.

 

“Oh?” Nel raised one eyebrow and looked at him in a questioning manner.

 

Ulquiorra shook his head. It wasn't important what he wanted tattooed on him. He wasn't flashy as Renji with the tattoos. He wasn't covered in them like Nel or Grimmjow. “I wanted my upper lip to be colored in black.”

 

“That's a weird idea.”

 

“Have you seen Renji's tattoos? There are weirder ones out there. Also, name one tattoo on me that makes sense,” Ulquiorra stated.

 

Nel pursed her lips but ended up shrugging. “Where is it going?”

 

Ulquiorra decided to place the aquamarine colored, six-pointed, jeweled flower on his ribcage. Nel told him it would hurt like a bitch. She was right. He would hiss in pain before she would back off and blot the tattoo with the wet paper towel.

 

Once the outline was done, Nel gave him a break, switching machines and breaking down the other one. He watched her while she moved around.

 

“Does the back hurt as much as this?”

 

“Depends on where it is. Anywhere along the spine is painful,” she replied. “You're not tapping out, Cifer. I'm finishing this one.”

 

He glared at her for a second. “I didn't say I was. I merely asked a question,” Ulquiorra corrected.

 

Nel sprayed him with a cold stream of the soapy stuff in the bottle and he hissed. “That wasn't nice,” he pouted.

 

“Ulquiorra, you've not been nice to me since—”

 

“I know. I apologize for my behavior. I was an ass. I know it may seem like I'm a robot but still rejection hurts. You should know this,” he said quietly. His eyes flickered to her face. “He _seems_ okay though. There are times that I miss you. I know I shouldn't but I do. I miss the conversations we'd have after—”

 

"I felt you were too hung up on Orihime to have a relationship with," she said, interrupting him.

 

"Kind of like how Grimmjow is with you?"

 

Nel didn't say anything. He heard her tap the foot pedal that would power on the tattoo machine. He felt the burn and he lifted his head to see she was starting to shade and color.

 

“We can be friends. And at least you think Bazz is okay,” she finally said after a long pause. “You should really get Orihime to talk to someone. There's something going on with her that she's not saying.”

 

“Like?”

 

“I don't know. I just have this gut feeling that something is going on. I can see it on her face. She might smile but it doesn't reach her eyes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papa Roach – Wish You Never Met Me  
> Theory of a Deadman – Not Meant To Be  
> XXXtentacion – I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore  
> Gorillaz – On Melancholy Hill  
> Twenty One Pilots – Cancer  
> Tool - Sober  
> Honne – Til The Evening  
> Fleurie - Hurts Like Hell  
> Koda – The Last Stand  
> Lacuna Coil – Losing My Religion  
> Sleeping With Sirens – Already Gone  
> Nothing More – Say It To Me Now (Live)  
> Crywolf – Stomach Ft. Eden  
> Honne – Too Long  
> Nothing But Thieves – Sorry


	21. Deep Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima is a downright bastard. Ulquiorra decides to be a jealous bastard. Nel and Bazz try their hand at romance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DUBCON ELEMENTS. 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: I probably won't be updating until Thursday or Friday when I get home from the hospital. I'm having an abdominal surgery so... who knows how recovery is going to go. Of course, I'll be checking my email. As always you can message me on Tumblr (espada-iv), FF.net (EspadaFour), and KIK (Espada.IV). I'll probably need a distraction. 
> 
> :)

University was exhausting, not so much in the sense of what she was learning but being around new people, being polite, and making acquaintances. She had to decline advances from new males and endure the looks from women she'd never even talk to. She learned where to go on what days. Orihime never felt comfortable though. She felt as if she was always being watched.

 

In the beginning of the semester, she'd caught a glimpse of the tall, skinny man. She trembled as he passed by her. He didn't even notice her even as he bumped into her and didn't even apologize for it. Orihime thought she was in the clear until she found out that one of her classes was very late in the afternoon and wouldn't end until it was almost dark. She could deal with that; she would ask Grimmjow to pick her up that day so she wouldn't have to ride on the train home, alone. The thing that struck her as odd was the fact that he was in her class.

 

She ignored him or at least tried to. Orihime always felt those eyes on her but when she looked up or around he was taking notes or looking at other things. She didn't feel comfortable but when she tried to bring this up to the people she lived with, she felt she was being paranoid.

 

Orihime practically twitched when she came to the school anymore. The incident at the study group with Tsukishima had only been the beginning of a series of harassment from him. He was constantly in the background or following her. Also, coupled with the fact that he seemed to live a short distance away from her, it was unnerving. It was never-ending.

 

She had half a mind to ask Grimmjow to accompany her to class but she knew it'd be futile. He had to work, like everyone else. He didn't seem to mind the early afternoon study group being moved to later in the day. Ulquiorra had been fretful over the past week.

 

Several days after Nel spoke to her at the table, Orihime decided to take a different stairwell to avoid him but she ended up running into Tsukishima anyway. He cornered her at the bottom level and had her against the wall.

 

His hands wrapped around her wrists but he didn't need to do that. The redhead was so frightened of him that she couldn't move.

 

Her mood fluctuated from weak and helpless to kick your balls in when it concerned the tall man. The pregnancy hormones were making her the simpering damsel today. She didn't have the energy to deal with it until he slid his hands down her body without permission.

 

She arched against him as his hands ran over her breasts. It wasn't because she wanted to, it was merely to try and get him off of her. She could tolerate that. When Tsukishima's fingers moved right over the baby bump, she got angry. She glared at him as a smirk spread across his face.

 

“Uh oh, someone's been a bad girl,” he murmured against her ear.

 

“Leave me alone!” She hissed.

 

“No.”

 

“I'll go to the police and tell them—”

 

He started chuckling which eventually turned into laughter. “You won't do anything,” he said smiling.

 

“You don't know that!”

 

“I do know that. I know,” Tsukishima's tone was serious but he was still smiling. He held up four fingers. “Does the number four mean anything to you?”

 

Her face automatically fell into one of shock. The flowers she had received with the cryptic message on it. Nel had gotten them too. Had he done that? “You.”

 

“Me.”

 

Orihime's bottom lip quivered. “It was you.”

 

“Was it?”

 

His eyes still held that warmth that unsettled her because his face was expressionless and aloof. What was he thinking? What did he want? “Why? I've done nothing to you.”

 

Tsukishima's fingers were now between her legs, pressing against her. At that moment, Orihime knew what the word violation meant. Pleasure coursed through her nerves but she didn't want this. Her hands came up and gripped his shoulders and her body shook. “Please.”

 

“Are you begging me?” Tsukishima asked, his voice a low murmur.

 

Begging? Never! She was pleading for him to stop; to answer her questions; to leave her alone. “No.”

 

Her face flamed crimson and she looked down at the tiled floor. His delicate fingers of the hand that was not busy grabbed her chin lifting it upwards. His features were handsome; the gentle eyes, the straight nose, and the carefully sculpted mouth. The smirk that graced those lips sent a chill down her spine. No one had ever treated her this way.

 

Orihime screwed her eyes shut. She didn't have to think about this if she couldn't see him. If she didn't see it, it wasn't happening. She didn't want to think about how handsome he was or looked.

 

Her breath was coming faster as the pressure in between her legs increased. The friction felt like treason. Her body was eliciting a mutiny. All of her nerve endings felt hyper-aware of everything he was doing to her. “Please—”

 

“Please? You're begging again. Are you wanting me to do this?” came the cold whisper as the hand on her face left and suddenly pinched her nipple. “It's such a shame you decided to wear pants today.”

 

The redhead bit her lip so hard that she could taste blood. Orihime would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her moan, groan, or cry out. He was nudging her legs further apart. She tried to resist but she felt powerless. It was only because the fear of him overrode her senses. Anger formed in the pit of her stomach canceling out anything that he was doing to her.

 

“No! Please, stop!” She managed to say through gritted teeth.

 

Her form slumped to the ground because he stepped away from her. She watched, her chest heaving in deep breaths, as shoved his hands into his pockets.

 

“You have a week to decide,” he stated before walking out the stairwell door.

 

Orihime didn't know how long she spent on that floor, staring at it and crying.

 

* * *

 

It was by chance that Ulquiorra noticed two people sitting across the food court at the mall who had shockingly similar heads of orange hair. He nudged Grimmjow in the ribs with the point of his elbow. “Is that—?”

 

“It's Traffic Cone... Is that?”

 

Orihime was sitting with Ichigo and she was talking to him. The female had a massive slice of pizza in front of her while the male had his chin in hand. The kid was looking down at Orihime with a warm expression and was talking to her.

 

“Did she tell you she was meeting anyone today?”

 

The blue-haired man shook his head. “I took her to the train station so she could go to class.”

 

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. “Shouldn't she be in class now?”

 

The other man nodded. “Yeah,” Grimmjow said and looked at his phone. “Yeah, she should be in class. Want to walk by her and freak her out?”

 

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. “I'd much rather walk by and beat the living hell out of Kurosaki.”

 

“He's a tough asshole to beat,” Grimmjow commented as he took a drink from the cup in front of him.

 

The whole point of being at the mall was to find Christmas gifts for the ladies... Well, at least Orihime. Ulquiorra had plans to get Nel something and he had an inkling that Grimmjow was thinking about the same thing because he mentioned something about manga and getting a figurine from one that Nel really liked.

 

Grimmjow said the character was hot.

 

Ulquiorra wasn't fooled.

 

So, the dark-haired man shoved his chair back and stood, grabbing his purchases. Since the two redheads had their backs to the men, Ulquiorra decided that they would do as Grimmjow suggested, although it was a petty and trivial thing to do.

 

The way the orange-haired male was looking at his girlfriend was enough to make that green-eyed monster that lived in his brain wake up.

 

“Yo, Ulq, you kinda look like you're going to kill someone. Chill out. She's allowed to have friends,” Grimmjow said following the man. Ulquiorra gave him an annoyed glance as he made his way to the far side of the food court.

 

“Look, I've heard that guy talk to Orihime. It was right after I came back. He whispered all kinds of stuff to her. He's the same guy who called her a bitch and a slut for taking me back. Look at the lovesick eyes he's making at her!”

 

“Calm down.”

 

“Bazz was just a friend too, remember?” Ulquiorra added.

 

“Jesus fucking—”

 

“I'm just saying if we follow that logic—”

 

“You had to bring him up, didn't you?”

 

Ulquiorra snorted and then started walking towards the end where Orihime sat with the male. He slowed his pace enough that the two men looked casual as they turned the corner of the half-wall that separated the tables from the people milling about. There was no way Orihime could miss them.

 

And she didn't disappoint. Her eyes went wide as she spotted them and they both stared at her as they moved past her position. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at them, showing (mostly) Grimmjow a rude gesture. At least, she had the decency to look ashamed.

 

The dark-haired man just shook his head and gestured to Grimmjow. “It's time to go.”

 

* * *

 

The winter wind blew against the towering apartment building, Nel could hear it outside. There was soft candlelight in the living room along with a fire in the fireplace that didn’t make the harsh cold wind seem that bad.

 

Two people sat on the sofa, listening to music and occasionally picking up food with their fingers and placing it in each other’s mouths. Bazz had promised a romantic evening and he had not disappointed Nel yet.

 

She had stepped inside the apartment earlier in the evening, in a smart cream colored linen dress, heels and sweater, covered by a simple black wool coat, and instantly was in heaven from the smells coming from somewhere else. He had gently taken the coat from her shoulders, hung it in the closet and guided her to the living room where they were at now. Bazz gestured to the couch and asked Nel to sit, while he put on some music.

 

Nel was surprised she hadn't noticed the built-in bookshelf lined with various books, CDs, movies and video games the first time she visited the apartment. Bazz revealed that the built-ins were hidden and he had to press a button which revealed the items. The CD collection he had was impressive and had numerous genres. His video game collection would have made a teenaged Ulquiorra jealous.

 

“There is only one requirement for dinner tonight,” he said with a smirk on his face. Bazz set down a tumbler of some dark liquor then handed Nel a glass of red wine.

 

“Bazz, you know I can't drink.”

 

He huffed at her. “I've read that a glass of red wine, once in a while won't hurt. Ask your doctor the next time you see them.”

 

Nel raised an eyebrow and set the glass down on his coffee table. She was waiting as he took a dramatic pause. “There will be no utensils or napkins. You’ll only have use of your mouth and hands.”

 

Just as she was to protest, the man had turned and went back into the kitchen only to reappear with a large tray, which he set on top of the coffee table. It seemed that this was going to be a dinner where it was done in courses and not all at once. Nel didn't mind and she loved the attention she was receiving. Various vegetables with dip along with pieces of bread and cheeses sat on the tray waiting to be devoured.

 

After the small amount of food was consumed, Bazz left Nel alone in the living room again. She felt as useful as a hole in a cup, so she called out, “Is there anything I can help with?”

 

“Change the CD,” came the reply.

 

Nel stood and smoothed down her dress then walked over to where the stereo was sitting. She quickly glanced through the CDs and picked out an instrumental album that she had never heard of. The soft strains of hymns being sung with a saxophone started emitting from the hidden speakers. Nel thought she recognized the song; it had played in his car. Bazz once again returned to the living room with the same tray but this time the dishes he had were giving off tendrils of steam.

 

Bazz raised an eyebrow as she turned to him. Nel blushed slightly, feeling stupid and silly. She felt like a little girl with a crush on an older boy who merely showed her attention just to be rid of her. “What?”

 

“Nothing, just surprised you picked Jan Garbarek's Officium,” he said, putting the tray down. He walked towards Nel and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look stunning tonight. That dress is rather... fetching on you.”

 

The blush deepened. “You didn't have to buy me anything. I mean I love the dress and the heels and the sweater but you didn't have to.” Their lips brushed and Nel could feel one of his hands drifting lower towards her hips and ass. The other was on her abdomen, softly caressing the bump there. “Bazz, c'mon. I'm hungry and this was supposed to be dinner.”

 

“I'm just saying you have impeccable tastes,” he murmured, against her neck.

 

She said nothing and became very interested in what was on the tray. There was no way she was going to confirm his words and stroke his ego. He led her back over to the couch and presented her with a fine display of roasted potatoes, asparagus, and some pieces of chicken breast.

 

“You can cook?”

 

“I can cook. What? Did you think just because I'm a bachelor that I didn't know how to cook?” he asked with a smile.

 

Scoffing in a playful manner, Nel took off the cashmere sweater and draped it over the back of the couch. He was holding out a plate of food to her and she accepted it. “Forks? Chopsticks?”

 

“Fingers,” he answered. “And your mouth.”

 

Nel picked up a piece of the chicken and examined it before placing it in her mouth. Slowly chewing, she did not notice the way Bazz was looking at her. She totally missed the hungry glint in his eyes but she could not miss how he gingerly picked up her hand.

 

“It appears that your fingers are a bit messy.”

 

As he lifted her fingers to his lips, Nel watched as Bazz’s mouth slowly opened and the tip of her index finger disappeared. The warm and wet sensation as his tongue molested her hand, made her shiver. Bazz moved onto the next finger and it seemed that when he was satisfied, he moved onto the next digit waiting for his attention. Her breath became shallow as he reached her pinky finger and migrated onto her palm. Her soft skin was tingling as his tongue and lips moved over the surface and she started squirming in her seat.

 

Nel was sitting, somewhat outraged when he dropped her hand and then picked at his own food. She could not believe he did that! How could he be so calm when the thoughts that were racing through her head had them both naked and getting the surface of his couch rather messy. They both were silent as the dinner wore on, Nel had to suffer in silence. She tried to help Bazz when she was done eating but he waved at her to sit back down. “What can I do to help?”

 

“Nothing, sit there and look pretty!”

 

She huffed and stood, looking around for something to keep her mind occupied. Something that didn’t involve erotic images. She should probably go wash her hands. Although Bazz had technically had cleaned her hands for her, the coldness of the water had dampened her hormones somewhat. Nel didn't seem as needy or on fire at the moment. She came out of the bathroom and walked down the hall to find the mohawked man sitting on the couch, with the same tray in front of him. Bazz had given her a glass of water this time and then patted the seat next to him.

 

Nel looked at the tray, eyeing the contents and then him. “I should have known you'd go for cliché.”

 

On the tray sat an ice cream scoop, one empty bowl, a small container of vanilla swirled with chocolate ice cream, a jar of chocolate fudge sauce and a bowl of what looked like fresh whipped cream. “But it’s sexy,” he replied. “You can't say it isn't.”

 

Nel shook her head and returned to the couch. With a boyish grin, Bazz quickly dropped two scoops of ice cream into one of the bowls, drizzled it with the fudge sauce then dropped a dollop of whipped cream on top. “Now remember, you agreed to fingers and other body parts,” he intoned before handing her the bowl.

 

Her stomach fluttered when he smiled like that. Never in her years, had she wanted anyone more than Bazz at that moment. Nel had to fight hard to convince herself that she wasn't falling in love with him. She didn't want to be that emotionally involved with anyone, at the moment.

 

Bazz was a good time. He made her laugh and smile. The sex was decent too. She had asked him about the first time they had sex. He'd been pretty truthful. Bazz's usual sex routine did not include oral sex or even a bed. It was just fuck and run. She'd been the second female that he had had his face buried in. She was the first female to see him fully naked and the first one to be in his bed and apartment.

 

The way he talked to her, made him seem sincere.

 

She was engrossed in her own thoughts that she did not notice Bazz had moved and was now sitting behind her and unzipping the back of her dress.

 

A draft of cold air hit the sensitive skin of her tattooed back and she turned to look at the man who was gently coercing the fabric from her upper body. After a tiny kiss placed on her left shoulder, his hand slipped under the fabric; down and around to her lace-covered breast.

 

Now Nel understood why she was holding the bowl of ice cream as Bazz slowly undressed the upper half of her body. Each time a patch of skin was exposed he would smear a small bit of whipped cream onto her skin and then would lick it off.

 

He made her turn to him once he had the upper half of the dress off.

 

“What happened to eating?” she asked as his swift fingers unhooked her strapless bra. He quickly pulled the piece of offending clothing away from her and threw it behind them.

 

Bazz took the bowl of ice cream from her and set it on the table. Nel watched as his lips were just about to make contact with her nipple when her phone went off. Her brow furrowed as she heard the device make a sound. That was Pesche's ringtone...

 

Had something happened?

 

“Bazz?”

 

“What?”

 

“I have to get that. It's my business partner,” she said. He gave a solemn nod and sat up. She could see his prominent erection through the dress pants he wore.

 

With an apologetic look and holding the loose part of her dress against her, she got up and walked into the foyer. Nel grabbed her small purse off the table that sat by the door. Nel pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. “Hello?”

 

All she could hear were people screaming in the background. “Hello, Pesche?”

 

“Hey, Nel! There you are,” the older goofball of a man replied. “I know you had the night off. I know you went to Tokyo but we got trouble here.”

 

“What kind of trouble?”

 

“Let's just say it involves Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Orihime, and Yachiru.”

 

She was silent as Pesche explained what was going on. “Are you fucking serious?” she yelled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marilyn Manson – Deep Six  
> Silverstein – Discovering The Waterfront  
> In This Moment – Fighter  
> Black Veil Bride – Goodbye Agony  
> Twenty One Pilots – Heathens  
> Super Junior – Bittersweet


	22. The Moment I Said It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra lets his brain get the best of him and gets into a fight. Orihime decides. Bazz gets a text message that could ruin every thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> *shrugs* This is why you don't write things when you haven't eaten for 5 days.

Ulquiorra didn't mean for it to happen but it did. Since it did happen, he was probably going to die a horrible death.

 

Grimmjow dropped him off at Candy Ink after the whole incident at the mall. He was angry because Orihime had lied to him. She said she was going to class that morning. Why was she sitting at the mall in the food court with some asshole who had said some pretty nasty things about her? He'd been stewing about it since they left the retail complex.

 

He didn't see that pink-haired brat anywhere. He knew Nel had taken off with Bazz for a date. It was only Pesche, Renji, and Yachiru working. Ulquiorra walked down the hall and tapped on the piercer's door.

 

“Yeah?”

 

The dark-haired man opened the door and poked his head through. “I'm here if anyone cares,” he told the older man.

 

“Okay, sounds good. Let the little one know you're here.”

 

“Uh, do you know where she is?”

 

“Nope and nor do I want to know. She's an annoying pain in the behind.”

 

He sighed and closed the door then walked down the hallway to his own door. When he turned the knob and opened the door, he did not expect to find Yachiru inside, flipping through his sketchbooks that sat on his drawing desk. She must have been focused on the task at hand because she didn't say anything as he walked up behind her

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked in a calm voice. Inside he was boiling with rage. _HOW DARE_ this little bitch invade his tattooing area and go through his things!

 

The teenager jumped and spun around. She looked like she was ready to bolt for the door but Ulquiorra was right there, pinning her against the desk.

 

“Hiya Bat—” Her voice was a fake cheery tone. He knew this because it quavered; she was afraid.

 

“I swear to God if you call me that annoying ass nickname one more time, I'm going to hurt you. I've told you to leave me alone. Why do you persist? Why do you keep bothering me?” he asked.

 

The pink-haired teenager didn't back down like he expected her to do. “Because I've heard things about you,” she said, a matter of factly. “I'm curious.”

 

“You're fucking stupid,” Ulquiorra told her.

 

“How? You're the one who thinks you're dark and mysterious but if anyone actually took a minute to dig a bit deeper they'd see a poor little boy who—”

 

Ulquiorra turned Yachiru and pushed her against the wall with some force. He had his hand around her throat. He wasn't playing around. He was angry. He was livid. He was jealous. He didn't want to deal with this idiot girl's bullshit.

 

For some fucking reason, she was still smiling and it irked him. “What?” he spat out.

 

She shook her head slightly. “You do anything to me—”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I witnessed Grimmjow get his ass beat by your dad when he didn't want you,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“So does that mean you'll do what I want?”

 

“What? Hell no!”

 

“Then I'll just tell my dad.”

 

Ulquiorra was on the verge of bringing his other hand up and squeezing the life out of this bitch but he had to restrain himself. He wasn't mad at Yachiru. He was mad at Orihime. If he took his jealousy and rage out on the teenager, he would be in a lot of trouble. He took several deep breaths and logic took over. “What is it that you want?” he asked through clenched teeth.

 

He was a fucking idiot for asking that question. He should have known that the pink-haired kid wasn't as innocent as she looked.

 

“I've heard Nel and Boobs—”

 

“Who the fuck is Boo—”

 

“Rangiku... Can I finish?” she asked, looking unimpressed. “I've heard them gossiping about you. I want to know.”

 

He raised an eyebrow and then scoffed. Ulquiorra could figure out what she was referring to. “No, I have a girlfriend. So, run off to Daddy and tell him I rejected you because I'm pretty sure your father knows I wouldn't touch you.”

 

The girl had balls because she slapped him. This just knocked his rage up a couple of pegs and it all spiraled downhill from there.

 

* * *

 

His blue eyes went wide. When Grimmjow opened the door to Ulquiorra's tattooing room, he didn't expect to find the man bent over that pink-haired teenager who was lying on the table. He didn't expect to see them kissing or touching each other. At least they weren't fucking, was the cynical thought that rolled through his brain.

 

It was Orihime who started screaming. She actually pushed past Grimmjow to gain entrance to the room. Her hands were on her hips and he could practically imagine steam flying from her head like a cartoon.

 

“What the hell are _you_ doing?”

 

“What the fuck are _you_ doing here?”

 

“She's a high schooler!”

 

“So were you; that didn't stop me or you!”

 

Back and forth, Orihime and Ulquiorra threw insults and questions at each other. It kinda reminded Grimmjow of the incident with Nel when Bazz stayed over the first time. This was not going to go well. He could just see the aftermath from here and they weren't even done.

 

“How long have you been fucking Kurosaki?”

 

“I've never fucked him.”

 

“Liar. Why did you tell me you were going to class today?”

 

“I didn't want to go!”

 

“Why so you could hang out with your _precious_ Carrot Top?”

 

He noticed the pink-haired teenager had left the room and now Renji and Pesche were witnessing the fight. Pesche was on the phone. _Fuck._ He was either calling one of three people; Nel, Don, or Kenpachi. If it was Nel, heads were going to roll. If it was Don... Someone's ass was more than likely going to get a lecture... Kenpachi; well Ulquiorra was probably going to die from the ass beating of a lifetime.

 

“It seems like since you got pregnant you have become a whore, Orihime.”

 

“Me? You're one to talk! Who in their right mind calls up an ex-girlfriend to have sex with?”

 

“Who? Me, that's who. The same guy who called up an escort and asked for one with red hair. I'm so fucking sick and tired of you—”

 

“Hey,” Grimmjow said, yanking Ulquiorra away from Orihime. “That's fucking enough.”

 

Ulquiorra tried to punch him but the tall man was so in tune with the other man and his type of violence that he dodged it easily.

 

“You stay out of this!” the dark-haired man spat.

 

“Kiss my ass, Ulquiorra.”

 

“You want me to, don't you?”

 

“Would you two fucking knock it off?” Grimmjow looked at Orihime who looked irate. “Nel is right, you two are the biggest fucking babies I have ever seen! It serves you right if you both end up alone!”

 

“Why don't you drop the bitch act? It doesn't suit you at all.”

 

* * *

 

If anyone was counting, which the only one that was, was the person who just got owned, that would make it two times Ulquiorra had gotten smacked in the same night. Hell, it would make two times in ninety minutes that two females, close in age had decided to haul off and hit him.

 

Yachiru's slap had been nothing. It just added a bit of fuel to the fire. However, Orihime's hurt more. His head whipped to the side from the force of it. He turned back to her and sneered. Ulquiorra was absolutely livid at this point. If she was lying about going to class and then skipping out to visit her _friend_ then she had to be lying about the nature of their relationship.

 

So what, if those two had caught him doing something. Did they give a rat's ass if he was breaking down in the middle of the night? Did they care that his mental state was deteriorating because of his past trauma? No, they were happy fucking each other to sleep and rubbing in his face. When he needed their support the most, they dropped him. “I'm fucking tired of this. You know, sometimes, I wish I never came back,” Ulquiorra stated. “I wish I never met you.”

 

All the males that were watching, stared at the redhead who ran out of the room crying. Ulquiorra heard that little bell ring and he knew she was outside.

 

There was some awkward shuffling and then the crowd seemed to drift back to their own areas. Grimmjow stood rooted to the same spot. Ulquiorra could feel his eyes on him. “What?”

 

“What the fuck man? What the fuck is wrong with you? You just got her back and you ruined it,” the tall man noted.

 

“Big fucking deal, she'll get over it... Probably with Kurosaki,” Ulquiorra assured. He flopped down onto the stool and crossed his arms over his chest. “Let me tell you something Grimmjow, having her back and fighting you over her every day is not the same thing. So, when she decides who she wants, she can come back and until then good riddance.”

 

“You don't mean that. Trust me, I know,” Grimmjow stated. “I wish I could take back everything I said to Nel.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

* * *

 

Orihime didn't know exactly where she was going but she was using her phone to navigate the streets to the house. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got there. Everything that Ulquiorra had said to her replayed in her mind over and over like a broken record that no one was attending.

 

She was away from the busy area where Candy Ink was located and now was walking down quiet streets. The dark houses and the chilly weather made her shiver. There'd been no snowfall yet but it felt like it was on the way. Whenever a car came up the street, Orihime would stray to the side and out of the way. There weren't many sidewalks where the house was located.

 

There was a car coming up the road behind her. She turned and looked behind her and then moved to the side. It didn't pass her. She waved it on, trying to tell the driver that they could go.

 

After walking several minutes with the car still behind her, Orihime had a chill run down her spine. What if...? Was it...? She stopped walking and glanced behind her again. Her breath left her as the interior light of the car came on.

 

Orihime swallowed.

 

Tsukishima.

 

The sleek black car idled and the man just stared at her. Orihime sighed. It had been a week since he had cornered her in the stairwell. She buried her face in her hands. Everything had been screwed up since Ulquiorra showed up again.

 

It wasn't supposed to be this way!

 

She was supposed to be with him and only him. They were supposed to have a child already. They loved each other.

 

There was a gaping hole in her emotional heart. She hadn't meant to hurt him. Orihime didn't mean for this all to happen. Biting her lip, she heard his words again as they echoed in her memories. It hurt.

 

“ _I want you.”_

 

“ _I don't need to talk to you._ _”_

 

“ _I love you, Orihime.”_

 

“ _I wish I never met you.”_

 

She looked up when she heard a click. The passenger side door of Tsukishima's car had opened. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. He was expecting something from her. Right. He wanted her to get into his car. Her feet carried her several steps forward then she stopped.

 

Why was she doing this? She didn't even like Tsukishima. She detested him. Her feet took several more steps. Orihime closed her eyes. Ulquiorra had pretty much said that he was done with her. That's what he meant by he wished he never met her, right?

 

Taking a deep breath, the redhead walked the rest of the way to the car and then slid into the passenger seat. She carefully closed the door and then stared at her lap, tears prickling her eyes.

 

“Seatbelt, Orihime.”

 

Following his order, she engaged the safety strap and then the black car took off again. They passed by the house and swung around the corner. Orihime's dark eyes glanced at the man sitting beside her as he shifted gears. Where was he taking her?

 

* * *

 

Nel was pissed as she stomped into Candy Ink with Bazz right behind her. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Yachiru were in her office with Pesche keeping an eye on them.

 

“Where the hell is Orihime?” she fumed as she moved into the office. Pesche shrugged. No one wanted to look at her as she sat behind her desk. Bazz leaned against the wall behind her. “Well? Do one of you twats want to answer me?”

 

It was Grimmjow who found his voice. “We don't know. We've been trying to call her for the past two or three hours and no one has answered.”

 

“That's fan-fucking-tastic. Who started this fuckery tonight?”

 

“Technically, Orihime started it today,” Ulquiorra muttered.

 

Nel scowled at him. “Why were you even here tonight Ulquiorra? You weren't scheduled.”

 

“I came in to take my mind off finding Orihime with Ichigo today. She lied and said she was going to class but we found her with that orange-haired dickhead!” Ulquiorra answered in a venomous tone.

 

Grimmjow let out a sigh. “We were shopping for Christmas presents and she was sitting there with him.”

 

Nel huffed. “So what prompted you to attack—”

 

“I didn't attack anyone.”

 

“We all know your track record, Ulquiorra. Don't try to play the damn saint,” Nel said in a bitchy tone. “Why did you attack Yachiru?”

 

“I told her to leave me alone weeks ago. It was right after—Never mind. I didn't attack her! I went into my room and she was in there rifling through my stuff. I told her I had a girlfriend and she slapped me,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“Technically you said—”

 

“Would you shut your fucking teenaged mouth?”

 

The pink-haired girl pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn't hear you saying that hours ago.”

 

“For fuck sakes,” Nel muttered. “Has anyone called Kenpachi?”

 

“Nope, we were waiting for you to get here.”

 

“You're gonna call my dad?” Yachiru asked. The girl looked kind of afraid.

 

Nel raised an eyebrow. Why would Yachiru be afraid of her father? “Out with it, Pinkie,” the teal-haired woman said.

 

“Ugh, no way.”

 

“Yachiru Kusajishi, answer me now, or I'm calling Kenpachi,” Nel stated.

 

The teenager sighed, pouted some more and then huffed. “Because I was told to leave Ulquiorra alone! My dad specifically told me to leave him alone. I heard you and Rangiku talking about him and I got curious. He's always so closed up and silent. I wanted to see if I could make him crack.”

 

“You toyed with him? Yachiru, people aren't games!” Nel scolded. “Especially him! You have no idea what he could do to you!”

 

The four men in the room looked uncomfortable and the older female realized what she said. “Get bent,” she said. “I'm sure everyone in this room knows I've had sex with everyone except Pesche and Yachiru.”

 

Pesche spluttered and excused himself from the office, mumbling something about chances and if he was younger.

 

“So you guys got into a fight? What happened?”

 

“Casper and I were making out and Blueberry over here decided to barge in,” Yachiru said, jerking her thumb towards Grimmjow.

 

Nel heard the low growl from both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. “I have a name, you know,” the dark-haired man said.

 

“It's much more fun to see you get your knickers in a twist.”

 

The teal-haired woman pinched the bridge of her nose and refrained from rolling her eyes. “Okay, that wouldn't make Pesche call me with people screaming in the background.”

 

“Well, Jiggles decided to come in start screaming. I got the hell out of there.”

 

“Do you have annoying nicknames for everyone?”

 

The pink-haired girl nodded. “Pretty much.”

 

“Are you two done?” Grimmjow asked. “We have a much bigger problem to deal with.”

 

“What?”

 

“The fact that Orihime is missing now. Its been almost four hours since she left here,” he said.

 

“Why did she leave?” Nel asked looking at Grimmjow's face and then Ulquiorra's dark expression.

 

Grimmjow shifted uncomfortably and the other man's face just got angrier. Nel narrowed her eyes at Ulquiorra. “What did you do now?” Nel asked him.

 

“There may have been some words said... Akin to the kind we said to each other a couple weeks ago,” Grimmjow said, looking down at his phone.

 

“I swear to—Can't there just be one day or one week or one month without fucking drama or fights?” the teal-haired woman asked.

 

“Are you asking without fucking and drama and fights or just fucking drama?” Yachiru asked.

 

“Get out of here!”

 

The teenager didn't need to be told twice as she scampered from the room. Nel took a deep breath and then released it slowly. “Bazz, could you close the door?”

 

“I'll fucking do it,” Grimmjow grunted and hurried walked over to the office door. It shut with a snap and Nel watched the blue-haired man sneer at the one standing behind her.

 

“Okay, so I want you two to go home and see if Orihime's there. Ulquiorra—”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

Nel stared at Grimmjow unimpressed with his sudden hostile behavior. What she was going to do was none of his business, so, she decided to teach him a lesson about staying out of her life. “I'm going back to Tokyo and I'm going to get fu—”

 

It was Bazz who put his hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. “Is there any place Orihime would go at this time of night?” he asked.

 

The two men shook their heads. “She's a homebody,” Ulquiorra said. “Unless it involves weird food or new restaurants, she much rather stay at home.”

 

“You're wrong you know that?” Nel said once she managed to pry Bazz's hand away from her face. “She likes going out shopping and walking with her friends. She likes being social. It's because you don't like going out into the general populace that she became a homebody. Orihime was always out with her friends or with us before you came into her life.”

 

“Then we are better off without each other.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz let out a sigh as Nel walked inside of her house. They just had a small fight about her returning to his apartment in Tokyo. He would have been fine with that but it seemed strange that Orihime was missing. So now he just sat in the driveway.

 

His phone had vibrated in his pocket while at Candy Ink. It had been a message from Tsukishima. He didn't dare open it while around the others. Now, He took his phone out of his pocket and tapped on the message.

 

Thank the gods above he hadn't opened it. The video clip showed Tsukishima laying next to a naked Orihime. From what it looked like, Tsu had her in the house a couple of streets away. Bazz threw his car into reverse and was in the street in seconds. His tires peeled out making a sharp chirping noise.

 

His half-brother was probably still at the house. The girl in the video was asleep. Bazz could stop this. He could stop it and he'd go to the police. Tsukishima would be stopped and Bazz would blame it on some stupid lackey.

 

Nel meant too much to him to get hurt.

 

When he pulled into the driveway he didn't see the twin to his own car, a black Audi R8. He shut his car off and went up to the front door. Bazz unlocked the barrier.

 

He cursed and the words got louder as he searched every room in the house. Tsukishima nor Orihime was here. The only evidence that anyone had been there was his brother's rumpled bed.

 

Dammit. His green eyes narrowed; Tsukishima was going to get his ass kicked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce Dickinson - Taking The Queen  
> Poets of the Fall - Stay  
> We The Kings - We'll Be A Dream (Ft. Demi Lovato)  
> Andy Black - Put The Gun Down  
> Vancouver Sleep Clinic – Collapse  
> Imogen Heap – The Moment I Said It  
> Sleeping At Last – Lights  
> Embrace – I Can't Come Down  
> Jamestown Story – I Just Don't Want To Lose You  
> Labrinth – Beneath Your Beautiful  
> LAMB – Gorecki


	23. Big Bad Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima paints Orihime into a corner and then has his way with her. Various organizations have a meeting. Bazz wants to kick his brother's ass from here to infinity and then our mohawked hot boy goes and talks to Nel about things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Yes, I stole Ulquiorra's lines. I needed them.
> 
> There is sex in this chapter. I alluded to it in the previous chapter... It could be said that it's dubcon but she does give consent... Don't like it, don't read it.

She hadn't been sure what he wanted once the car had pulled into the driveway of the huge house. Orihime knew that she was scared. The man sitting beside her hadn't said a word since telling her to put on her seat belt.

 

“Why are we here?” she asked quietly.

 

“Leave your things in the car,” he instructed. The tall man unfolded himself from the vehicle and then walked over to the passenger side. The door was open and he held out his hand. “Come.”

 

Tsukishima led her up to the front door and inside. Orihime had been polite enough to remove her shoes before following him. They went up a flight of stairs and she gasped as she found herself in a bedroom.

 

The tall man had shut and locked the door. She turned around to look at him. “What are you going to do to me?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“I don't trust you.”

 

“Nor should you,” Tsukishima said. “Does the name Sosuke Aizen sound familiar?”

 

The redhead nodded. That name sent shivers down her spine. That name had ruined her life. “He's a gangster; a Yakuza or something. Why?”

 

“You're going to comply with me, Orihime Inoue. This isn't a negotiation. You have no say so in this unless you want to kill your boyfriend,” Tsukishima said as he walked around her. “I am Sosuke Aizen's son. I know that Cifer is still alive. He was supposed to die. You can come along with me and he lives. Fight me and he dies.”

 

The words he said hit her like a blast of dynamite to a building. Her world crumbled and everything she knew was being destroyed. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt faint. The tall man's hands managed to go around her biceps before she sank to the floor.

 

He was holding her up. “All it takes is a phone call,” he whispered in her ear.

 

“Why?” she asked. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“Because I can,” he answered.

 

That wasn't a reason! It wasn't even an excuse. Another thought railroaded her. If Tsukishima was Aizen's son... Bazz was his brother— “Nel.”

 

“What about your roommate and former boss?”

 

“You and Bazz are brothers—”

 

“ _Half_ -brothers.”

 

“Nel is dating Bazz. He's nothing like you,” Orihime said.

 

“Oh, that's cute. I know he's putting up this good boy front,” Tsukishima said. “We're cut from the same cloth. We have the same father. We're both striving towards the same goal.”

 

Orihime tried to shrink back from him but it was near impossible with how he was holding her arms. “What do you want from me?”

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima had her undress while he lounged on the bed, watching her. So, this is what she looked like completely naked and in the flesh. She was trembling. He motioned for her to come to him. He had asked. She had given him an answer.

 

“Orihime, what is your decision?”

 

“If I agree, you'll leave Ulquiorra alone?”

 

He nodded.

 

“How do I know I can trust you?”

 

“You can't know. Have you decided?”

 

She bit her lip and nodded.

 

It had been that easy.

 

Once she got to the side of the bed, Tsukishima turned and placed both of his feet on the floor, on either side of her legs. He could look her in the eye, just by sitting. He stroked her forehead and down her nose. His long, thin fingers touched her delicate mouth and waited for her to part her lips. She looked at him, confused. “Open your mouth,” he said.

 

He watched as the pale pink lips allowed two of his fingers inside. Her mouth was warm and inviting. Tsukishima could see that she was trying not to cry; trying to hold back her anger and humiliation. She was trying to be strong.

 

He let the two fingers in her mouth drop down to her chest, taking one nipple in between them. She gasped and squirmed, trying to get away from him. His arm wrapped around her waist. “Why did you have these done?” he asked.

 

“I don't—oww oh, _don't_ pull so hard—know,” she whimpered.

  
“You don't know why you got yourself pierced?” When she didn't answer Tsukishima pulled her even closer and enclosed the other nipple with his mouth. This made her cry out. “I don't like being ignored, Orihime.”

 

“I got them because Ulquiorra suggested it and I wanted to feel physical pain,” she said finally.

 

“Did he also suggest this?” the man asked, running a hand over her abdomen.

 

“No. That was a medical mishap,” Orihime replied, shaking her head.

 

“Hmmm,” he said. He kept playing with those pierced nubs; alternating between pinching and squeezing them to using his mouth. After a few minutes of this, he had her panting. His fingers traveled lower until he cupped her nether lips.

 

Exploring the damp folds, Tsukishima stroked her back. He watched carefully as her spine arched when he entered her with two fingers. She tried to be quiet, but soft moans still escaped and he chuckled. It didn't take long to figure out what made her orgasm and he exploited this knowledge to the fullest extent that he could.

 

Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, hiding her face with her hair. _Awww_ , she was ashamed, he thought.

 

He didn't help her up. Tsukishima stood and pulled down the suspenders and unbuttoned his pants, painstakingly folding them and placing them on the bench at the end of the bed. He did the same thing with the rest of his clothing.

 

He knew he didn't have the greatest body. It was tall and thin with some muscle definition. He was pale and a few silvery scars crisscrossing his body. His brown eyes looked down at Orihime who was still on the floor, gasping for breath and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Get on the bed,” he said.

 

Orihime's head snapped up. “What?”

 

“Get on the bed,” he repeated.

 

“Why?”

 

Tsukishima let out an impatient sigh and then reached down, hauling her to her feet. She was really tiny when he realized it. There had to be a foot or more of difference between their height. Shoving her back towards the bed, he studied her for a moment. She was afraid.

 

“Orihime, what did you think was going to happen when you got into my car?” He asked as he advanced towards her.

 

“I—I—I don't know.” Her bottom lip trembled. Her legs hit the bed. All he did was give her a little push so she fell back on it. “Are you going to hurt me?” she asked.

 

“No. You're going to enjoy this,” Tsukishima said. He meant it too. He was going to milk her body for all the pleasure he could get.

 

* * *

 

Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. She panted from need. Her wrists were pinned down against the bed; her knees pushed up. Tsukishima's body was on top of hers. He kissed her, plying her mouth open, tongue sliding against tongue. He tasted like mint.

 

Every story Orihime had heard of someone getting raped, was violent and brutal. This wasn't it though. Tsukishima had asked. She had consented and he was very gentle. She thought she could deal with this better if he had been rough. She still felt like she was being violated.

 

It was possibly because he hadn't worn a condom. He positioned himself and entered her without a word, the force of the movement taking her breath away for a moment.

 

He'd kiss her lips, mouth her nipples, or nuzzle her cheek. He thrust in and out of her at a leisurely pace, as if he had all the time in the world with her. Tsukishima kept looking at her but Orihime wouldn't let her eyes focus on his face. She glanced at everywhere but him.

 

It wasn't fair.

 

She didn't want him but her body responded. She tried to claw at him but he had her restrained. Her toes curled from the orgasms. It seemed to take him a long time to get off. Once Tsukishima was finished, he lay beside Orihime. She felt his weight settle next to her as she dozed off. How many times had he made her cry out? She had no clue. As her eyes weighed heavily, Orihime drifted off to sleep.

 

She didn't know he was taking pictures or recording a video with his phone.

 

* * *

 

The next night, Aizen sat in Tsukishima's abandoned warehouse along with forty other men and some women. His sons were standing behind him along with Tosen and another lackey that Aizen had taken too. Kugo could get jobs done while getting his hands dirty and the man didn't mind.

 

To his left sat old man, Ywach, along with his son, Jugo and another man by the name Robert Accutrone. Aizen merely nodded at the men. Ywach was much more bloodthirsty than Aizen but the man was also cunning and ruthless.

 

Aizen wanted blood, money, and power. The old man wanted heads on pikes. He would have done well in Samurai times.

 

Next to Ywach's contingent was Jin Kariya, his lieutenant Ran Tao, and their four little foot soldiers. That man's operation was a disgrace. All bark and no bite. They talked a big game but when it came down to business, they all ran and scattered like leaves in the wind.

 

Across the table sat the Karakura organization; Kisuke Urahara, Isshin Kurosaki, and Tessai Tsukabishi. To the left of them were the Togichi Prefecture escort tycoon Shunsui Kyoraku, his partner; Jushiro Ukitake, and then Tetsuzaemon Iba.

 

The Nikko entourage was the biggest by far; Kenpachi Zaraki, Dondochakka Birstanne, Byakuya Kuchiki, Retsu Unohana, Chojiro Sasakibe and finally a young kid by the name of Toshiro Hitsugaya. The kid was surprising but he'd heard that the young man was somewhat of a prodigy.

 

The rest of the body count in the building was made up of bodyguards, half-ass thugs, and hired guns. These things would and could get messy at times.

 

Aizen hated these meetings. They were pointless. It was the same thing over and over. None of these assholes were ever truthful in their reports or earnings. They were more like pissing matches to see who could throw out the most threats.  


 

He never threatened because actions spoke louder than words. Aizen either did or didn't.

 

* * *

 

Bazz stood beside Tsukishima with a sour look on his face. The big meeting was about to happen. One of those doors along the room held Orihime. He shifted slightly closer to Tsukishima so that he could say without anyone else hearing, “Where the fuck is she?”

 

He saw his brother's side glance. “Does it matter?”

 

“You changed the rules.”

 

“You have no idea how the rules have changed,” the taller man replied.

 

“Care to enlighten me then?”

 

“Not particularly.”

 

Bazz's hands curled into fists. “Keep your fucking hands off Nel. Touch her and you'll die.”

 

“Is that a threat, Bazz?”

 

Their father shifted in the chair in front of them and held a hand up. That was the signal for shut the fuck up or I'm going to beat both of your asses. The brothers were familiar with that gesture.

 

The red-haired man sneered at his sibling.

 

The meeting was long and boring and after the mob bosses done were discussing their ideas of grandeur, Bazz cornered his brother. “Stay away from Nel,” he seethed. “You need to take Orihime back home now. I will _NOT_ have you jeopardizing my relationship with her.”

 

“Bazzy, you poor thing... What if I was to take certain footage and pictures I have to our father? Should I tell him that you knocked up a woman? You know what would happen don't you,” Tsukishima murmured.

 

Bazz swallowed and glared at his brother. “I guarantee if you do that, I won't have any problems with pulling a trigger. I'll put the gun right to your forehead and pull it back. You think I'm scared of going away? I'll happily accept the death penalty.”

 

His brother mocked him by appearing shocked. “My, my, Bazz; such strong words and warnings over a bitch.”

 

“You know, I used to look up to you, Tsu, but ever since you got interested in Orihime, you've changed. Your obsession went further this time. It crossed a fucking line,” Bazz stated. He sneered at his brother again and then walked away.

 

What Bazz didn't know was that Aizen was watching both of his sons with mild interest.

 

* * *

 

His red R8 pulled into the tiny parking space in front of Candy Ink. Nel was sure to be there. He had tried at the house but no one had answered the door. It was a little after four in the evening. Bazz hadn't heard from his girlfriend all day.

 

The mood around the trio had been somber since Orihime went missing. Bazz knew where she was. Tsukishima was being a bastard. He walked through the front door after exiting the car and nodded at the busty blonde who was entertaining a child on her lap. He went behind the curtain to see Cifer's door was open.

 

The dark-haired man was sitting there looking despondent. Bazz knocked on the wood frame which made the man narrow his eyes and look up.

 

“Oh, it's you.”

 

“Sorry. You okay, man?”

 

It was obvious that he was taking the redhead's absence the hardest. Ulquiorra shrugged. “Nel's in her office or she's in her workroom.”

 

“Thanks,” Bazz said and turned walking down the hall. He found that sexy teal-haired woman at her desk and she was grinning like a cat who caught a bird. The red-haired man didn't say anything as he closed the door to the room. “There's my girl.”

 

“Your girl?” Nel said, standing up.

 

Bazz had to halt his steps to look at her. He ran his teeth over his bottom lip. “You're saying you're not my girl?”

 

“How about your woman? The word girl seems to imply I'm still in high school,” she replied walking over to him.

 

“Fine, my woman, my lovely, my baby, my girl. I could keep going. Honey, sweetie—Wait, I can't use sweetie... Sweetie is what I call Grimm.”

 

“God, you're an idiot.”

 

His arms wrapped around Nel which was becoming a bit difficult as her baby bump grew. Bazz had to admit, he found the thing arousing. His hands went down to rub the protrusion. “Baby Tu,” he said bending over to talk to the bump.

 

“Now, you're a double idiot,” Nel said laughing.

 

“I've read that you're supposed to play music, read, and talk to them while they're in there,” Bazz said. He straightened his body and walked over to Nel's desk chair and sat down. The teal-haired woman raised her eyebrows and leaned against the desk in front of him. “My lap not good enough?”

 

“Bazz, I'm at work. Annnnd,” she drawled. “You're the one that texted me saying you had to talk to me. You also left two voicemails stating it was urgent that we talk. No distractions, talk.”

 

“You're much easier to talk to once you've had a mind-blowing orgasm,” he teased. “How many more weeks do we got?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The baby; how many more weeks?” Bazz asked running his fingers over the firm mound.

 

“Oh!” Nel said in a shocked tone. “Um, I'm not sure but I think fifteen or fourteen weeks. It's like three and a half months. Why?”

 

“It's one of the subjects I wanted to talk about,” Bazz replied in a quiet voice. “Other than trying to talk you into coming to Tokyo for a week-long—”

 

“I have clients. I just can't drop them so I can have sex and play house all week,” Nel scolded him in a playful manner. “No matter how much I want to.”

 

Bazz grinned, “Well, at least I know that you want to, that makes me feel better.”

 

He had a reason for asking about the baby and if she would come to Tokyo. If she stayed with him in the city, Tsukishima couldn't grab her. If he could possibly get her another house somewhere, Tsukishima couldn't hurt Nel. It was a big purchase to make for a woman but Bazz was so infatuated and intoxicated with this woman, he never wanted to be sober again.

 

“Why are you asking about the baby, Bazz?”

 

He sighed and looked up at her, “Does it matter Nel?”

 

She shook her head, “You make it sound like you're making long-term plans, that's all.”

 

“If I am?”

 

Nel stood up and slowly started to pace the floor of her office. “We've not talked about this,” she said.

 

“We don't have to talk about it right now,” he said, studying her movements and facial expressions. She seemed upset. “It was an idea I had.”

 

The woman raised one eyebrow and stared at Bazz. “What is this idea?”

 

“You're gonna think I'm stupid or an idiot.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muse - Time Is Running Out  
> In This Moment - Big Bad Wolf  
> Daisuke Namikawa - Crush The World Down  
> Lauren Aquilina - Forest Fires  
> Aesthetic Perfection - Spit It Out  
> Blue October - Not Broken Anymore  
> Bloodhound Gang - Something Diabolical  
> Bush - Bonedriven  
> Blue October - Time Changes Everything


	24. When Your Mind's Made Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel has an audience for an early morning wake up call. Bazz and her talk. Something is wrong and Tsukishima has the upper hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Figging is the practice of inserting a piece of skinned ginger root into the anus or the vagina of a person. It has been used as a means of punishment. It is also used as a BDSM practice. It's more than likely that Tsukishima used it as a punishment... IDK, he's a twisted fucker. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. IT IS PAINFUL. If you wish to know more about this, please, look it up on Wikipedia.

Nel was perched on the edge of the kitchen counter with Bazz's head in between her legs when Grimmjow walked in the next morning. The red-haired man managed to talk his way into her bed again, not that she minded. She was making coffee when Bazz had walked in wearing nothing but boxers. She was wearing a short red robe that she had bought from some store. She would never admit that she bought it because of him. He had turned her around and lifted her so that she was now sitting on the counter.

 

The marble was cold! She hissed as it hit her ass.

 

Bazz kissed her fiercely and Nel had to wonder where this emotion was coming from. She didn't say anything as she slid an arm around his neck and then did the same thing with her legs, wrapping them around his waist. His hand was in her hair, the other one on the sash of the robe, undoing the knot.

 

His hands were moving again, this time sliding along the curve of her waist and bump toward her breasts. His thumbs brushed the curve on the underside of them. He lowered his head towards her. His lips pressed to the pulse point on her neck, sucking gently, and his path continued to her chest, which his large hands now cupped.

 

Nel whined when his mouth left her body.

 

“You're fucking gorgeous, Nel.” Bazz murmured in her ear.

 

“I know,” she grinned. He told her that every time he got her naked. “What's gotten into you?”

 

“I woke up and you were gone. It fucking scared me,” he replied.

 

What did he mean? She didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it.

 

He kissed her again in the same frenzied manner then he was gone, his mouth nipping, biting and licking their way down her body. She felt his teeth on her stomach and his hands touching her thighs which were thrown over his shoulders. She was a bundle of nerves as it took what seemed hours for his mouth to travel over that round hump that blocked her view. Nel could feel butterflies in the pit of her stomach and she swallowed several times in anticipation of what Bazz was going to do.

 

His lips pressed against her skin, before moving lower, and his tongue slipped out to taste, the warm wet flesh. She heard him moan and felt how his tongue parted the folds. Eyes rolled back and Nel arched her body letting her hands slide down so that they could cup her breast, her fingers covering her nipples that already were hard from Bazz's efforts. She moaned. Every stroke of his tongue made it very difficult for her to remain quiet or coherent.

 

He wasn't concentrating on her clit. He was licking everywhere but that sensitive bud of nerves. A moan escaped her lips and she let go of one breast so that she could grip the edge of the counter. Nel only meant to look down at Bazz's mohawk since she couldn't see his face but instead, she found herself staring at Grimmjow who was standing in the kitchen doorway. He held a finger up to his lips.

 

What the fuck? How long had he been standing there? What had he seen? Hadn't Nel been quiet?

 

She could feel the pressure of Bazz's ministrations building, her muscles tightening, knees shaking and she knew that this unexpected surprise session of oral was about to come to an end. Nel was trying to hold just a few moments longer, a few more pleasurable touches, just a few more seconds of his mouth doing wickedly delicious things to her.

 

Bazz knew what to do because as soon as his tongue flicked her clit, she was done. She couldn't take anymore. Nel threw her head back and cried out, succumbing to the waves of pleasure going through her.

 

What made everything hotter was the fact that he stood up directly after that and kissed her long and deep, letting the orgasms pulse through her nerves.

 

“Well, that's one way to wake up,” Grimmjow said, in a gruff tone.

 

It was very apparent to Nel that both men had erections. All she had to do was say something but Bazz didn't know of their house rules. Besides, Nel didn't want to be with Grimmjow. She didn't want to entertain _that_ idea. She rode that ride; she got the t-shirt.

 

Bazz was helping her off the counter and then making her robe decent. “I'm sure it's better than what you woke up too,” the red-haired man said. “Was your hand as good as you remembered?”

 

“Fuck you,” Grimmjow replied.

 

“Time and place, _Sweetie_. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go have some breakfast in bed,” the other man said before dragging Nel out the other door near the dining area and back down to her room. The couple totally missed the obscene gesture that Grimmjow gave them.

 

* * *

 

A couple of days later, Bazz was a happy guy, at the moment. Nel had agreed to come to his apartment for a couple of days again. It wasn't a week but maybe he'd be able to convince her to stay longer. They were cuddling on the couch, watching a movie with a blanket over their laps. The fireplace was going strong. It was cold outside and it had started snowing. Christmas wasn't that far off, maybe a week away.

 

He was only half interested in the movie though. It'd been an entire week since Orihime went missing. He knew where she was. He didn't dare go to the warehouse.

 

Tsukishima sent him updates every day, complete with pictures and videos of the redhead. Sometimes, they'd show her having sex, other times they'd show Tsukishima spanking her with a huge paddle or him exploring something he was interested in. Yesterday, it'd been figging. Today, who knew what game he wanted to play with his personal sex doll.

 

He knew his half-brother was torturing the young woman. It made him sick to his stomach to watch her screaming. Whenever he read through the messages, he automatically deleted them. He wasn't keeping that shit around as evidence.

 

“Nel, we need to talk,” Bazz said finally. He untangled himself from her and then stood, walking over to the bar. He felt her eyes on him as he poured himself a tumbler of dark liquid. He took one drink, then two then tossed the entire contents back into his mouth.

 

When he turned around, she merely raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I thought we already talked,” she said sounding confused.

 

“I want to talk about us. I have no clue what your plans are once you have the baby,” he said, leaning against the bar. Bazz crossed his arms over his chest and studied Nel. “Where do I fit in?”

 

She scoffed at him and shook his head. “You and I are just having a good time, Bazz. You barely know me. I barely know you. I figured you'd run as soon as I had her. My plan is to raise my daughter by myself.”

 

“What about Grimmjow?”

 

“What about him?”

 

“Is he going to help? Are you going to run back to him as soon as she's born?” Bazz asked. He was almost tempted to run his hands through his mohawk but didn't.

 

“Why does it matter?” Nel asked, looking as equally frustrated as him.

 

He sighed. This wasn't going how he planned. The way he imagined it in his head, Nel was falling for him just as hard as he fell for her. His mouth formed a thin line. “Okay,” he said and pushed off the bar and walked towards his bedroom.

 

“Bazz, it doesn't look like it's okay,” Nel called out.

 

“Just drop it, Nel.” She was calling him out. This was the one time he was going to walk away. He had to walk away or else he'd just start pouring his heart out to her and then where would he be? He'd be left open and weak. She already said that this was just a fun time for her.

 

“Bullshit.”

 

With the shake of his head, Bazz entered his bedroom and then moved to his closet. He started stripping his clothes off. He was in the shower nothing flat and when he exited the glass cube, she was sitting on the edge of the tub. He barely glanced at her as he wrapped a towel around his waist and threw another around his shoulders.

 

“You can't walk away like that,” she said quietly.

 

“I did,” he replied.

 

“I'm not planning on going back to Grimmjow.”

 

“Congratulations,” he mumbled. “I don't really care what you do.”

 

“Obviously, you do,” she said.

  
  
Bazz glanced at her before he started brushing his teeth. His green eyes locked with her hazel ones as she walked up behind him. “Tch,” he scoffed.

 

He finished what he was doing and then turned around to look down at Nel. “What?”

 

“You're in love, aren't you?”

 

Once again he scoffed. He'd only felt this feeling once before and it ended up a messy affair. Tsukishima had seduced the woman he was seeing. She had ended up pregnant, Bazz read about her death the next week in the paper. How was it he ended up attracted to people who didn't want him? Bazz didn't confirm or deny her words, he just stepped around her and started drying his red hair.

 

“Bazz?”

 

“What?” he snapped.

 

“Answer my question,” she said. “You're in love with me, aren't you?”

 

She wouldn't drop the fucking subject. Bazz shook his head and walked into the closet throwing the towels into a basket. He grabbed a pair of boxers and then headed toward his bed. It wasn't even that late at night. He just wanted an excuse to not talk about _this_ right now. She had made her feelings clear.

 

“I'm going to bed, Nel. Stay up, leave, at this point—”

 

“You are, I can see it.”

 

When he laid down, she climbed on top of him and he had to clench his jaw. “I don't want any right now,” he said.

 

“Bullshit.”

 

“Don't bullshit me,” he said, sitting up and pushing her to the side. “I told you I'm not in the mood for any right now!” With that, Bazz turned off the bedside light and then pressed the button that would block out all the light from the city.

 

* * *

 

Nel didn't know what to do as she lay next to the muscled and mohawked man. She knew that he was still awake because he kept tossing and turning. She didn't dare reach out to him. All she had wanted was an answer to her question. If she had a concrete answer then maybe she could stop lying to herself.

  
These feelings had been creeping up on her for weeks, ambushing her at random moments. She would look at Bazz and feel giddy. She had told herself though, this was just for fun. This was something different than Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Bazz didn't have the strings that those two had.

 

She sighed and sat up, looking over at the male. He was staring back at her. She could see his pale green eyes shining in the darkness. “Do you have any kids?” she asked quietly.

 

“No.”

 

“None?”

 

“Nope. I've always made sure to have protection on me when fucking with other bitches,” he said.

 

“Why do you want to help raise another man's child? It doesn't make sense,” she stated.

 

Nel heard the sheets rustle and the weight on the other side shift. He was now sitting next to her. “Nel, I don't need to answer your questions. If you already suspect it, then you should know. If you don't feel the same way, that's fine. I'll back off.”

 

“I do.”

 

“What?” He acted like he was surprised at her statement. “What did you say?”

 

“I said I do. You're someone... I don't know if I'm in love because honestly the last two people I thought I loved turned out to be a drug addicted douchebag and a cheating asshole,” Nel said, feeling a blush heat her face. “I don't know if it was for the better or not but you've been here for me.”

 

“So what're you saying?”

 

“I care deeply for you.”

 

“Would you stay in Tokyo with me? If I showed you that I was willing to do anything for you, would you stay with me? We could go anywhere in the world that you wanted—”

 

“What? No! I have a life in Nikko. I can't uproot my business just—”

 

A hand was placed over her mouth. “Shhh.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz saw the panel beside his walk-in closet go completely dark. The panel controlled everything in the house... The lights, the fireplace, the curtains and the alarms. Someone had disabled his alarm system, it was the only row of lights that stayed lit at night. Who the fuck would dare to break into his apartment?

 

“Someone's inside,” he whispered into her ear. “Stay here.”

 

“What do you mean someone's inside? Do you mean someone's in the apartment?”

 

He didn't answer her. He rolled over and reached into his bedside table. Bazz felt for a latch and lifted it. Inside, he found what he was looking for. His hand enclosed around an illegal handgun and a clip of bullets. Once he was upright and turned on the light, Nel gasped.

 

“What the fuck is that?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Without further hesitation, Bazz shoved the magazine into the grip of the gun then pulled back the slide.

 

“Where the fuck did you get a gun?”

 

“Nel, shut the fuck up.”

 

Bazz was off the bed but didn't have time to react as the bedroom door burst open, hanging from one hinge instead of two. Twenty men filled his bedroom. Nel started screaming.

 

All he saw was Tsukishima's face, pink hair and the fucking blond with an eyepatch before someone hit him across the face with something hard. He was out before he even hit the floor.

 

* * *

 

Nel whimpered as she was dumped onto a dirty tile floor. Her head hurt. Her arms hurt. Her side ached too from the ride. Her mouth was dry. She'd screamed almost the entire way in the back of that van. They had threatened to gag her. Szayel and Tesla had tied her feet and hands together then the pink haired motherfucker had the audacity to hogtie her.

 

Tesla had been the one to murmur the apology. It didn't matter. Once she got free those two were going to die.

 

They had driven the van somewhere. She tried to struggle but it was no use. After about an hour, the van stopped and parked somewhere. She was hauled out of the back and thrown over a muscular shoulder. All she saw was dusty concrete and brick. Again, she squirmed but it was no use the man had a tight grip on her.

 

She was thrown into here. The zip ties on her wrists were cut. Her voice was hoarse from screaming and yelling. No one responded to her. Hours passed and Nel finally slumped to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

 

Who would do something like this to her?

 

It didn't take long before she got her answer.

 

She heard footsteps click along the floor on the other side of the door. They stopped right outside the door. Keys clinked and the lock was disengaged. She tried to get to her feet but Nel felt defeated. She didn't have the energy. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw who was standing on the other side.

 

A tall lanky man stood with his hands in his pockets, a grin on his face. Then the door opened wider to reveal a man with a white leather jacket, a red mohawk, and a split lip. Bazz looked downright hateful.

 

“See, she's fine,” the taller one said.

 

“I see that now let her go,” Bazz spat out.

 

“That's not how it works, my dear brother.”

 

“That is how it will work, Tsukishima. You came into my house and took my girlfriend,” Bazz said pushing the taller man. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Let her fucking go. _NOW_.”

 

“Mmmm, no. You must meet some of my terms and conditions first.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Demxntia's youtube channel.  
> Hakaisu - The Day I Met You  
> GucciHighWaters - I Thought I Died Inside


	25. Star Shopper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazz finds out the terms and conditions to get the women released. Nel has a talk with Bazz after being captured by Tsukishima. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra... well, they work things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> BOY SEX! FULL ON GRAPHIC BOY SEX! WITH VOYEURISM! You're welcome. I guess Grimmjow earned it finally.
> 
> Also, I kinda ripped out Nel's heart again... Ooops.

Before Bazz arrived that day, Tsukishima was inside Nel's cell. He was having a chat with his newest acquisition. He did not mention this to his brother who was sitting in the office above the two cages. If Tsukishima leaned over far enough, he could see Orihime pacing her cell.

 

“You're fucking serious?”

 

“I am dead serious.”

 

Bazz shook his head. Tsukishima grinned. He had his brother right where he wanted him. He had outlined everything that Bazz had to do to get him to release both women. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't even in the sense right or legal.

 

But to the tall man... It was fun. His half-brother obviously did not share the same sentiment. Pity.

 

“Tsu, this is too fucked up, even for me to contemplate,” Bazz said.

 

“Take the offer or leave it.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz didn't even have an expression on his face when Tsukishima opened the heavy cell door. He felt kind of numb, to be honest. Besides a damn headache he had woken up with, the blood on his carpet and the sharp stabbing pain in his heart, he was pretty much apathetic to things.

 

His eyes fell on Nel's form huddled into the corner of the bed. The pain in his chest became more prominent. She had rejected him. Not that he blamed her. He half expected it because of her past history with men. Bazz had wished that she would see him in a different light.

 

“Bump up the fucking heat, Tsu. You're going to kill them by getting them sick.”

 

“Your time is ticking away,” his brother replied.

 

“Can I get a chair?”

 

“No, there's a bed, use it.”

 

With a sigh, the red-haired man walked into the room, letting the door clang shut behind him. The lights turned on and Nel squinted at him.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Go fuck yourself!”

 

That was the appropriate response, Bazz thought with a nod. “Nel.”

 

“No, you don't get to _Nel_ me. You're a fucking bastard! He's already told me everything!” she screamed. “You're a liar. You lied to me.”

 

He shrugged. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. You shouldn't listen to my brother,” he replied.

 

“Get out.”

 

Bazz looked up at the ceiling of the cell with the large mesh openings. He took a deep breath and walked over to the bed, sitting down. Whatever Tsukishima had told her, it had most likely been lies. “Nelliel, let me explain,” he said.

 

She kicked out at him. He caught her ankle easily and pulled her over to him. She was strong as she fought him. Bazz cursed as she pushed her hand into the cut on his lip. He restrained her wrists by pinning them to her side.

 

“Dammit. You've gotta play dirty, don't you?”

 

She snorted. “Why should I play nice? You didn't.”

 

“What did Tsukishima tell you? What lies did my half-brother tell you?”

 

“You are Aizen's son.” Bazz motioned for her to continue. “You followed me around and spied on us.”

 

He waited for her to go on. “You knew where Orihime was. You knew she was in this building. That he sent you messages every day about her. He said you didn't want to do this. That he forced you to.”

 

There were tears going down her face, Bazz didn't wipe them away. He didn't feel like letting her loose at the moment just so she could maul him. “Anything else?” he asked.

 

“Your feelings for me are real. You objected to me getting flowers. You—you—you—”

 

“C'mon Nel if you're gonna make accusations, you need to say them.”

 

“Nnoitra—you knew all about him. You seduced me and you knew everything about me,” she said, letting her head fall against his shoulder, sobbing. “Why?”

 

Bazz let his arms encircle her shoulders. “I didn't know what kind of movies you liked or that you love sushi. I didn't know what it looked like as you licked whipped cream from something. I didn't know you liked yoga. I knew that you liked pole dancing or lap dancing... Whatever those classes were. I didn't know you liked manga or anime.”

 

“Sh-sh-sh-uu-ut up,” she said in a stuttering voice.

 

He lowered his voice so that only she could hear his words. “I didn't know how your skin felt. I didn't know what sounds you made when you were against me. I didn't know what little—” Bazz's words were cut off as Nel covered his mouth with her hands.

 

“Shut up. I don't want to hear you.”

 

He removed her hands from his lips before kissing her knuckles. “I'm gonna get you out of here.”

 

“Yeah, right. You've got to agree to his terms first.”

 

“What makes you think I haven't?”

 

“I know what his terms are,” she stated. “Tsukishima told me what they were. What are you going to tell Grimmjow? How are you going to make this all right with him? What are you going to tell Ulquiorra?”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was pacing the entrance hall nervously. Nel was supposed to be home three days ago. Her mother and step-father had been calling him repeatedly wanting to talk to Nel. It was almost Christmas. She was only supposed to be at Bazz's apartment for a couple of days, then she was coming home. That's what she had told him when he talked to her.

 

Pesche had called when she didn't show up for her clients. He told the piercer that he didn't know where Nel was at currently. He told the other man to reschedule. Since the incident in the kitchen, things between him and his ex-girlfriend had been a lot less strained. He had texted her three times. He'd not gotten a response.

 

He couldn't talk to Ulquiorra about this entire thing because he was a hot mess. The man knew he'd screwed up royally. The last thing he said to the redhead before she went missing was hurtful. He knew the dark-haired man blamed himself.

 

It was making the green-eyed man crazy with guilt and grief.

 

Grimmjow sighed and made his way to the bedroom; it was nine in the evening. He should get to bed because he still had last minute orders to work on tomorrow. He was worried though. No, he was beyond worried. Upset. Anxious. Distressed. Concerned. Agitated.

 

All those words described how Grimmjow felt at this moment. There was nothing that could be done to ease his fretful state except for Nel and Orihime walking through that front door. Once he got to his room, he was surprised to see Ulquiorra sitting on the bed.

 

“Nothing?” he asked in his trademark monotone.

 

Grimmjow shook his blue head back and forth. “I thought you were sleeping in your room,” the blue-haired man stated.

 

“I was but—I want to feel something. Pain. Anything.”

 

“So, give yourself a tattoo. Go get pierced,” the tall man replied. “Why the fuck would you come to my room?”

 

“I want you, Grimmjow.”

 

His blue eyes went wide as he regarded the smaller man. Did Ulquiorra mean? No. No, he didn't mean actually—did he? To play off his confusion, he dismissed the words. “Tch, right. I'm supposed to believe that?”

 

“You did say the other day that you wanted it. Fuck me.”

 

“Ulq, this isn't the discussion to have right now. Your head isn't in the right frame of mind.”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. Grimmjow watched him flop back onto the bed. “Why don't you understand?”

 

“Who says I don't? Maybe I do. I just don't want to be a part of your fucked up coping mechanisms,” Grimmjow answered.

 

If Nel was here right now, she'd been standing there with her jaw on the floor. The blue-haired man was declining sex. He shook his head as he stared at Ulquiorra who was getting off the bed. The smaller man was walking over to him.

 

His breath caught in his throat as Ulquiorra's hands fisted his t-shirt and yanked him down. Their lips met. Grimmjow had to hold himself back but it all went to hell as his mouth was pried open. He tasted the dark-haired man's tongue against his.

 

Ulquiorra had been drinking. He could smell the vodka on the man's breath.

 

Shit.

 

His hands ran up the man's sides and slid into black locks of hair. He didn't even notice as their kiss deepened that Ulquiorra's hands had gone to hold his hips. It was only when he felt fingers wrap around his cock that he noticed his friend had multitasked without him taking note.

 

“You're drunk, aren't you?”

 

“I had a couple of drinks. Be glad I'm not throwing _you_ down on the bed and shoving my dick into you,” Ulquiorra responded.

 

Grimmjow made a little noise between a moan and growl in the back of his throat. “Is that what you want? You want me to throw you down and just fuck you hard?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Green eyes looked into crystal blue ones. Grimmjow tried not to get lost in them but it was hard because Ulquiorra had an effect on him. He felt himself get harder as the man stroked and fondled the skin in his hand.

 

The blue-haired man had taken a few occasions to people watch. He mainly looked at men when he tried these experiments. There was nothing that signaled his desire for another male but Cifer... But then there were times that he got close to Bazz and Grimmjow started getting hard. He figured it was just from the thrill and the testosterone of a fight that was coming. He wasn't sure about it. Grimmjow was supposed to want to punch Bazz in the face, not drag him and Nel into a bed.

 

The dark-haired man was a different story. He hadn't been lying when he made the declaration of love this past year. He noticed when the dark-haired man started acting strange and when he finally left the bed. He knew where the boundaries were with Ulquiorra. You didn't pry into his inner turmoil. It just made it worse. Unless he came to talk, heavy issues were off limits.

 

“You need to stop,” Grimmjow muttered.

 

“You need to shut up. You know you want this; me. You want me on my knees in front of you.”

 

These words caused Grimmjow to shiver slightly. He only jolted further because Ulquiorra bit his bottom lip before sliding down in front of him. Those pale lips wrapped around the top of his dick and his blue head fell back against the wall he had been leaning against. His eyes shut tight as that dark, wet heat engulfed him. He was lost in how good this felt.

 

Moans left his mouth and he felt the back of Ulquiorra's throat. Jesus fucking— “Ulq—seriously, you need to stop. I'm gonna cum.”

 

“And?” Ulquiorra had pulled back and looked at him, his fingers wrapped around wet flesh. It made Grimmjow want to force himself back into that mouth.

 

“I'm not like you. I need recovery time before another round.”

 

“You know you like it. I bet I could make it hard again,” the smaller man said as he continued to stroke. “Do you like it?”

 

"Fuck," he panted. "What kind of—" He gasped; Ulquiorra's mouth on him again, sliding over the head of his cock in short strokes. “Question is that?”

 

With a growl, Grimmjow pulled the other man to his feet, kissing his swollen mouth. If the man with the black hair continued to do that then it was for certain, the blue-haired man would come in his mouth. He dragged Ulquiorra over to the bed to see a condom and lube already laying on the bed.

 

“You planned this,” the tall man said.

 

“Come prepared or don't come at all.”

 

Grimmjow chuckled as he held the smaller man closer to his body.

 

“I did plan this. It was supposed to be your Christmas present. Orihime and I—” the man paused for a moment, pain lancing his face for a moment before disappearing. “She and I had plans to fuck you. Then you both were supposed to do the same to me.”

 

Shit. Grimmjow frowned but he didn't say anything. The thought of those two doing things to him... it was overload for his brain. Just like seeing Bazz and Nel the other day in the kitchen. He'd jerked off after that scene. “Clothes off now, Cifer.”

 

“Oooh, look who decided to be the alpha male.”

 

“Keep it up and I'll show you I'm the alpha every day,” Grimmjow growled. He leveled a look at those green eyes.

 

“Take off your clothes while you're at it,” Ulquiorra demanded as he stripped off the t-shirt and sweatpants he wore.

 

Grabbing the bottom of the t-shirt he wore, he pulled it up his arms and then off his body. The jeans just required his hands to push them down. Soon the two of them were naked, Grimmjow bit his bottom lip as he eyed the other male. He closed the few remaining steps between their bodies and wrapped his hand around the back of Ulquiorra's neck, bring their faces to meet each other. The kiss was hard and Grimmjow was coercing those pale lips open.

 

It was a good thing that his friend didn't push him away but the fucker placed his hands on those broad shoulders and dug his nails into the muscled skin. Grimmjow hissed and finally straightened his posture.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra found himself turned around with Grimmjow's dick against his ass. He moaned at the sensation of pleasure going through his brain. It was something to focus on besides the pain and the feeling he had fucked up. He felt the bigger man's hand pressing against his back. He was urging him onto the bed.

 

So, one knee and then the other were on the bed. He was positioned rather lewdly but said nothing as he felt hands on his thighs, sliding up and squeezing his ass.

  
Fuck, was he really going to do this?

 

He expected Grimmjow to start prepping him but he was surprised as he felt the man's mouth on his balls. Ulquiorra let out a low moan before arching his back. The asshole had dragged his fingernails down his back. It wasn't like Orihime's or Nel's nails; that had been some heady pain. This was a blunted flash of brief satisfaction.

 

“That's my boy,” Grimmjow murmured.

  
  
“You shouldn't talk with your mouth full Grimm,” Ulquiorra said. Maybe he shouldn't have said that because, in the next instant, Grimmjow's mouth was on his ass cheek. Teeth sank into the soft skin there and made Ulquiorra yelp. “What the fuck?”

 

“Playing Kinky Pirates,” the tall man replied.

 

“Fuck you.” Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder with a scowl on his face.

 

“I'm gonna,” the man smirked. “You want my mouth or fingers and lube?”

 

“Fingers,” he replied. “Rimming takes too damn long.”

 

Grimmjow said nothing as he grabbed the tube of lube and flipped the cap open. Ulquiorra turned his face back to the bed. He let out a long breath as he felt the other man's fingers against his ass. God, that stuff felt slimy and it was cold.

 

“Can't you use oil?” the green-eyed man asked.

 

“Oil breaks down condoms,” Grimmjow replied. “Relax. Do you want me to suck your cock while I'm doing this?”

 

“Uh huh.” Suddenly Ulquiorra found himself on his back and Grimmjow's mouth on his cock. That one finger was pushed deeper into him followed by another one. Oh. The stretch was uncomfortable but very erotic.

 

Grimmjow was pushing his legs up and Ulquiorra grabbed his thighs, holding them up. “I'm gonna use another finger.”

 

“What?”

 

“Another finger.”

 

“You're not that big.”

 

“Want to find out?”

 

Ulquiorra huffed out a breath. “Sure,” he said.

 

He didn't mean for Grimmjow to take him seriously. He only meant it as a taunt. The next thing he knew Grimmjow had the condom on himself and he was now sitting in the man's lap; more lube was added. The blue-haired man had them on the edge of the bed, his large feet on the floor, Ulquiorra's smaller ones on the bed.

 

“I've thought about doing this for a long time,” Grimmjow murmured. “Every time we've done something, you won't leave my fucking thoughts. It's frustrating.”

 

Ulquiorra said nothing. He didn't think he could. He just kissed the blue-haired man again. His arms wrapped around Grimmjow's neck. He then felt the other man's mouth move from his lips to his chin and down his neck, nipping at the skin. Bigger hands were palming his ass, bringing things into position.

 

Grimmjow had to play the fucking concerned lover. “Are you okay? You're okay with this?” he murmured as his fingers worked in and out of Ulquiorra's body.

 

The dark-haired man nodded slightly. “Yeah, go slow,” he managed to say after a moment. His breath felt like it was coming in short gasps. There was tension was balled in the pit of his stomach. He was scared. Ulquiorra had to wonder if this is what Grimmjow felt before he had sex with him.

 

Why had he agreed to this?

 

The fingers left him and replaced with an erect cock. It was pushing into him; the hands on his hips pushing him down. If Ulquiorra wanted pain to forget about Orihime being gone, this was the direct way to go. The pressure of Grimmjow's size was uncomfortable as he felt the man penetrate him. He gasped, letting his head fall to the shoulder in front of him.

 

His nails dug into the man's back. Grimmjow stopped moving and stroked the small of his back and his ass. “Relax,” came the deep voice.

 

It took several moments and deep breaths but the blue-haired man was moving again, pausing every few seconds, letting Ulquiorra adjust. He was panting against Grimmjow's shoulder as his body finally submitted. “More—” he said in a broken way.

 

“You can barely handle what I'm giving you.”

 

“Lube. More lube.”

 

“Heh.”

 

This was heaven and hell. Now, Grimmjow was slowly drawing his body up and he moaned loudly at that feeling. He pulled back slightly to watch the blue-haired man blindly feel for the tube that was sitting beside them.

 

“It's gonna be cold.”

 

“Don't care, use it.”

 

“I told you—”

 

Ulquiorra was tired of Grimmjow's mouth so he ended up kissing him again.

 

* * *

 

Bazz didn't even bother knocking when he got to Nel's house. He used the key he had gotten from her purse. Once inside he took his boots off. All the lights were off except for the glow coming from what he knew was Grimmjow's bedroom. His green eyes narrowed as he heard what was unmistakably sounds of sex.

 

Had one of the men gotten another woman? Nel had only been gone for a total of six days. Fuck, they moved fast. Then again, Orihime had been gone longer.

 

The sliding screen in the hallway was open. Bazz decided he wasn't going to spy that way. He moved silently down the hall and into the kitchen where the other door leading into the bedroom was. His eyes went wide with what he saw.

 

Bazz never suspected that Grimmjow even swung that way so it was shocking to see the blue-haired man's dick buried in Cifer. The bigger man was grinding himself against the pale body on top of him. It made him swallow hard. It made him think of a whole lot of things that didn't need to be going through his head.

 

He had seen Grimmjow the other day when he had Nel in the kitchen. The man's boxers had been tented out considerably. Cifer was a small guy with his head thrown back, moaning like a bitch in heat.

 

The red-haired man made a small sound and instantly blue eyes were locked onto his pale green ones.

 

Shit, he got caught.

 

They stayed that way as Grimmjow's thrust became harder and Ulquiorra was moaning and groaning with need. There was no way the dark-haired man was going to be walking correctly in the morning. Bazz should have looked away because there was no way that this interested him.

 

His body wouldn't move and it didn't until Grimmjow's face buried into the man's neck. Bazz turned and walked back to the kitchen doorway, his fist clenching and opening. He heard them talking.

 

* * *

 

“You okay?” Grimmjow asked.

 

“Mmhmm.”

 

“We've got company.”

 

“Huh?”

  
“Bazz. He's here. He saw _us_.”

 

“ _Fuck_.”

 

Grimmjow frowned. “What?”

 

The dark-haired man shook his head. “Maybe Nel's with him. How do I get off you? I want to take a shower before she catches us.”

 

This made the tall man chuckle. What was he, a roller coaster? “How do you feel?”

 

“Sore. Sticky. Sober. Embarrassed.”

 

“Heh.” The blue-haired man swiftly pulled Ulquiorra off his lap, which caused the smaller man to give a surprised yelp. “Go get cleaned up, I'll deal with Elmo.”

 

He watched as Ulquiorra walked to the bathroom and then stood. He moved over to the dirty clothes basket and pulled out a towel that he'd used that morning after his shower. He removed the condom, dropping it into the small wastebasket and then wiped himself off.

 

“Are you decent?”

 

“Does it matter? You've seen everything now.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

Grimmjow turned his head enough to glared at the man who was leaning against the door frame. “You're stealing my lines,” he said as he walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of old sweatpants. “I suppose you're dropping Nel off. You're three fucking days late.”

 

“No, I'm not.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nel's missing.”

 

Grimmjow's world shattered in an instant, with those two words.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too many to note... Uh... You can find all these guys on Youtube.
> 
> Shinigami  
> Lil Peep* Title song is from him.  
> Gucci High Waters  
> Demxntia  
> Lil Happy Lil Sad  
> HKFiftyOne  
> yesterday  
> Fats'e


	26. Voices Stuck In My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima and Orihime have some time together. Bazz complies with one task that Tsukishima wants him to do while Nel watches. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra get a text message which leads them to talk to Kenpachi. Bazz and Nel fight and then Tsukishima declines Bazz's offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> Short chapter... May induce a HULKRAGE! Some sexual mention.

“Orihime?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

She was sitting in the middle of her room on her feet. The redhead was looking down at her lap, not a stitch of clothes on her. Tsukishima was sitting in a comfortable armchair in the middle of the room, reading.

 

He had been kind to her. He wasn't mean nor had he hit her unless she did something to warrant it. Teeth were a no-no; scratching and biting were also on that list. Sometimes, the orgasms he gave her were too much and she forgot. She had to be punished. Those were the rules. It was never a question. Tsukishima liked playing—no,  _toying_ with her. He had said she was his toy; his entertainment.

 

Normally, Orihime wouldn't have submitted to this so quickly but she was doing this for one person. She was trying to save Ulquiorra although the man wanted nothing to do with her.

 

“Orihime,” Tsukishima said again. “Are you cold?”

 

Her dark eyes flicked to his face and she shivered hearing her name. “No, sir.”

 

She had always hoped that somehow his eyes would be twisted with hate for her but it was no use. He looked at her like he would worship her. His eyes held such affection for her. It made her flinch when he touched her naked back delicately.

 

The book snapped shut. It made her flinch.

 

“You understand why I'm doing this, don't you?”

 

A tear slid out of her eye. She nodded.

 

“Shhh,” he said. Tsukishima was picking her up, cradling her to his chest. The shivers got worse until she couldn't control them. She didn't like when he was loving and gentle. She was torn. The battle that raged in her mind was one that she should hate this man and the other side cheering for her to have feelings for him.

 

It'd been several days since she heard Nel screaming and Bazz's voice. “May I talk to Nel?”

 

“Not a good idea, she's still upset with my brother's visit,” he said as he settled down in the chair again. “Bazz will be joining us in a few moments.”

 

“Bazz?”

 

“Yes, my brother, Bazzard.”

 

“Oh.” Orihime bit her lip. She wasn't sure what Tsukishima's game was today. Why would Bazz be coming into her cell? Did her captor have something planned?

 

“Orihime, aren't you supposed to be doing something?”

 

She nodded.

 

* * *

 

Bazz's face was once again hateful as the door opened. He saw Tsukishima sitting in a chair and Orihime's head going up and down. She was bouncing on his brother's lap. That much was apparent. This was all part of those terms he had to deal with to get the women released.

 

Fuck, why was he accepting this bullshit? It wasn't in his nature to bow down to his brother. It wasn't even in his nature to care about a female. Nel had somehow gotten under his skin. She bothered him. What he witnessed last night bothered him.

 

It was Christmas fucking Eve! Shouldn't he be with Nel at a fancy restaurant, presenting her with the damn set of jewelry he bought her? She would decline the gift, saying he spent too much on her. He would give it to her anyway, even if she hated him.

 

Her question broke his heart yesterday.

 

 _Why_?

 

After everything he knew about her, why had he fell in love with her? She sobbed against him for a while. She was telling him that she wasn't worth it. She didn't deserve it. She kept trying to convince him that she had no value. She was nothing. He wanted to shake some sense into her.

 

If Nnoitra Gilga was still alive, Bazz would have strangled him. He didn't understand people like him and his brother. What was the point of breaking someone down so far that they couldn't function; that they felt like that about themselves?

 

Bazz brought his attention back to the people in front of him. He could hear the redhead's moans. Tilting his head, he cracked his neck. The past three or four days had been hell. He needed a massage from a certain woman but she wouldn't look at him, let alone touch him.

 

First decree of this whole mess: Bazz had to have sex with Orihime. Nel would bear witness to this act through the window between the cells. Tsukishima would be there too, most likely fucking the woman at the same time.

 

Tsukishima said when the redhead was close to coming, a picture would be taken with the woman's phone and sent to her former lovers.

 

He _hated_ his brother.

 

Second decree: Force himself upon Nel. The idea made his stomach churn and bile rise in his throat. There was no way he was going to be able to do that.

 

Third decree: Hit Nel; beat the shit out of her; break her. Another fucking impossible thing that his brother thought he had the balls to do. He didn't. He wouldn't. He could not.

 

“I'm here,” Bazz said, trying not to sound as angry as he felt.

 

* * *

 

Nel was made to stand at the window. She had a high collar around her throat and a short chain was attached from the loop on her neck to one in the wall. She could see into the next room. It felt like she was going to get sick. Tears welled up in her eyes. The worst part about it was the fact that the collar didn't allow her to turn her head or her body from the people in front of her. Her hands were attached to another loop by a pair of shackles so she couldn't even cover her eyes.

 

She could see Bazz's face. He was angry or bored, she really couldn't tell. She watched him stand behind his brother's chair and talk to Tsukishima. Her eyes saw as he started undoing his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. She watched as his hand brought the zipper down. He really was going to fulfill Tsukishima's requirements.

 

Her hazel eyes burned as she saw him walk around to the front of the man and woman. Orihime looked up at the other man, eyes huge. She was smiling though, her legs opening wider. _Bitch._

 

Bazz was on his knees, Nel could see he was touching himself. His face was still passive or angry. She still couldn't decide. Then he was inside the redhead. Orihime's eyes went wide and her mouth formed an O. He didn't give her any time to adjust.

 

Her ears blistered with the sounds coming from the next room over. Nel hated the way that Orihime cried out. Neither of their cells had actual ceilings on them. They were covered in a mesh grate flooring. Everyone could hear everything.

 

The tears came out of her eyes, falling down her cheeks. She was crying earnestly, making sounds like she was in distress. She saw how Bazz's head turned towards that window. He couldn't see her. The mirrored surface blocked his view of her.

 

Nel briefly wondered why it felt like her heart was breaking if she didn't give a damn about Bazz Black and the net of lies he had spun for her.

 

* * *

 

“ _WHAT THE FUCK_?”

 

Ulquiorra's phone chimed and he picked it up, figuring that Grimmjow had sent him a text to tease him about last night. All he saw was a notification stating he had a text message from Orihime. He quickly tapped on message and what he saw horrified him.

 

Orihime.

 

Two men.

 

Inside of her.

 

Her face twisted into an orgasm.

 

One of those men showed his face clearly, looking down at the camera. The other's face was out of the frame. He screamed in outrage. A few moments later he heard the same question come from Grimmjow's mouth from the other side of the house. Ulquiorra stood and exiting his room. He saw the blue-haired man coming from the room that had the television in it.

 

“What did you get?”

 

“This.” Grimmjow held out his phone to the other man. Same picture, same pose.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“I don't know, man. That's the guy who attacked her when she went to take the entrance exam. I don't know who this other dickhead is,” he answered.

 

“It doesn't matter who they are. I'm going to find them and I'm going to kill them,” Ulquiorra stated and then started walking towards his bedroom. “We need to talk to Kenpachi.”

 

“You're going to show Kenpachi this picture?” Grimmjow asked in disbelief. “Are you fucking crazy?”

 

“Dondachakka needs to know his daughter is missing. Kenpachi has the resources to help us find them,” Ulquiorra said, turning to face Grimmjow. There was an iciness to his voice. “Unless you want to get more fucking pictures like this stay here. I know I don't. She's pregnant with _my_ son. I want her back.”

 

“Fuck man. You're gonna go ask Yakuza gangsters to help us out,” Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra noticed he looked really uncomfortable. “You don't know what kind of strings are attached to that.”

 

The dark-haired man looked at the taller one. “I suppose you do? Why are you so afraid of Kenpachi?”

 

“He has guns, that's why I'm afraid.”

 

“Perfect.”

 

* * *

 

She wouldn't even look at him. Nel kept her face buried in her arms which were perched on top of her knees. Bazz sighed. He sat on her bed. She was huddled in the corner.

 

“I guess if you're going to go through this, you should get on with it,” Nel said in a muffled voice. “Get those terms out of the way. I want to get out of here and away from you.”

 

“Tch.”

 

“That's what you were doing today, wasn't it?”

 

“TCH.” Bazz shook his head. He had heard her crying. He almost said to hell with everything and pulled his guns on Tsukishima. “You were watching.”

 

“Tsukishima didn't give me much of a choice. I've been raped before, it's not like it'll be a new experience for me.”

 

Bazz had to control his facial expressions. He saw a peek of her hazel eyes over her arms. How the fuck could she talk so casually about it? “I've never forced myself on a woman before, I'm not gonna start now.”

 

“So you're going to beat the shit out of me first?”

 

“Do I look like your first boyfriend, Nel? Does it seem like I'm a loser? Is my name Nnoitra Gilga?” He couldn't help the venom in his voice. Immediately, those tan eyes were hidden from his view. “That wasn't fair of me.”

 

Silence.

 

“I went to your house last night. I was going to tell Grimmjow—It doesn't matter what I was going to tell him. He knows you're missing.”

 

“Did you tell him lies?”

 

“Yeah, I had to.”

 

“Figures.”

 

“Did you know him and Ulquiorra mess around with each other? That they're—fucking?”

 

Those hazel eyes were looking at him again. They narrowed. “Yeah, I've caught them a couple times.”

 

Bazz nodded. Things were starting to make more sense. “Is that why you broke up with him because he likes dick?”

 

“It's none of your business,” Nel said bringing her head up fully. She was still glaring at him. “I'm not that shallow. You can't help who you want to be with or who you love. We broke up because of you. I threw away a four-year relationship to give your stupid ass a chance.”

 

He felt like someone punched him straight in the chest. Bazz stood and looked down at her. “I'm gonna go see if I can negotiate something with Tsukishima. I'm not going to hurt you.”

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra had no problems with striding through the doors of the dojo. He had no problems with ignoring the fat asshole at the desk who was yelling at him. He had no problems walking into Kenpachi's office. He slammed his phone down on the surface of the man's desk and pointed to the figure in the picture. He had taken time on the drive over to edit out Orihime's body but left the white jacket in the frame.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“Cifer, you are one rude man.”

 

“Who is it?” Ulquiorra repeated.

 

The big man with black hair grabbed the phone and turned it towards himself. “That would be Tsukishima Shukuro.”

 

“Who the fuck is this piss ant?”

 

“Heh, you think he's a piss ant?”

 

“Is his name supposed to strike fear into my heart?”

 

“He's Sosuke Aizen's _son_.”

 

“He's a dead, that's what he is.” The small dark-haired man said, placing his hands on Kenpachi's desk.

 

A maniacal grin came over the big man's face. “I like you, kid. You've got balls.”

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as his half-brother paced in front of the metal desk in the room. “You want me to consider your substitutions as actual options?”

 

“I cannot do what you want me to do.”

 

“Then you're deciding on not saving them. You're abandoning them,” Tsukishima's smirk grew on his face slowly. This was perfect.

 

Bazz's face contorted into a murderous expression. “You won't even consider it?”

 

“I don't see how having a threesome with Nel and revealing yourself to her lovers benefits me,” the skinny man said with the same smirk still plastered on his face.

 

“How does sticking your dick in a woman not benefit you?”

 

“Because that's your woman. I don't want to break her. I want to break you, Bazzard. By the way, the doctor will be here on the twenty-eighth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HKFifty One - Why'd You Have to Go  
> AfterTheParty - Ride  
> Crywolf - Stomach It Ft. EDEN  
> Lil West - My Curse Ft. Shinigami  
> Shinigami - Scrape My Face on the Pavement ft. $hy  
> XXXTenatacion - Never  
> Good With Grenades - Bruises and Bitemarks  
> Theory Of A Deadman - Not Meant To Be  
> In This Moment - Whore


	27. Let's Spill Some Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra and Kenpachi talk. Bazz tries not to make bad decisions. Nel gets out of her predicament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> Uh, elements of violence, pistol whipping and other fucked up acts that Tsukishima perpetrates.

It was late at night. Ulquiorra sighed and leaned his head back to look up at the sky. He couldn't see the stars because he was in downtown Nikko. He could see them from his yard. Living in the suburbs was nice. It was quiet.

 

He was leaning against the dojo. Kenpachi had closed the place early but the parking lot had cars in it. He had to get a minute to himself. He'd been around people all damn day coming up with strategies on how to get Orihime and Nel out of their situation.

 

He couldn't seem to get Dondachakka's face out of his head. The hopelessness of hearing that his daughter was missing was a lot to take in. Ulquiorra could sympathize with him. The mother of his child and said child had been missing for almost three weeks now. It was tearing him apart.

 

He felt like he caused this.

 

It had been a surprise that the first person Don blamed was Grimmjow. The old bearded man had punched Grimmjow in the stomach; yelling, screaming and threats started flying. Nnoitra's name had been tossed around a few times.

 

Didn't the old man understand that the dead junkie had _nothing_ to do with this?

 

It was all his fault. Ulquiorra Cifer was the cause of all of this. He had grabbed the attention of Aizen and in turn, his devil spawn children. He had single-handedly hurt the two most important women in his life.

 

He went inside and looked at the various people sitting around, having conversations and drinking tea. There was Don who was being comforted by a woman with long black hair that was pulled back into a braid. It almost fell to her knees. She looked incredibly kind and gentle but the lines on her face said that she had seen too much shit in her lifetime.

 

Grimmjow was chatting with a man with long black hair with some peculiar hair ornaments. They looked like silver tubes placed at the crown and side of his head. He wore a delicate silk scarf that appeared white but in different lights, it had a bluish cast to it.

 

An older man was huddled over a table with a man in a striped hat and a tall muscled guy who wore sunglasses.

 

The man with the black spikes was holding a conversation with a white-haired male that seemed to be as old as Ulquiorra. Kenpachi was nodding and held several sheets of paper in his hands. He stopped walking and waited for the tall man to be done.

 

“Cifer, get your ass over here,” Kenpachi called out. Ulquiorra moved to where the men were. “Hitsugaya, Cifer. Cifer, meet our boy wonder of intelligence. He was able to tell me where the message was sent from but not an exact location. He's also my lead strategist. Any plan we can think up goes through him and he works out the kinks.”

 

The green-eyed man nodded to the other. “Where was the message sent from then?”

 

“Utsunomiya, the best location I can give you is the older industrial district,” Hitsugaya stated.

 

“Where's that?”

 

“Outer limits of the city. Most likely going towards Tokyo.”

 

Kenpachi clapped the white-haired man on the shoulder, “Good job, Toshiro. If you want to confer with the others over plans, go ahead. I need to talk to this guy.”

 

That made Ulquiorra worried. When the other male disappeared, he looked at the crazy looking man. “Why do we need to talk?”

 

“You're beating yourself up over this. Don't, you should have contacted us sooner about it,” the man said quietly.

 

Ulquiorra's normally blank face scrunched up in annoyance. “I don't like catching the attention of Yakuza. Excuse me, if I seem reluctant to cohabitate with you all. I don't want to become involved with people like you.”

 

“I'm not the bad guy.”

 

“You're a gangster.”

 

“Do you realize if we go rescue your woman what that will do? If Aizen's son has both of the women and we barge in there, we'll start a war. It won't be pretty. You'll already be involved.”

 

“I want to learn how to use a gun.”

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

“Teach me and give me a weapon. I'll do anything you say.”

 

The warlord chewed his lip for a moment and then sighed. He nodded his consent. "You'll want to talk to Kisuke Urahara over there, the guy with the hat. He's our weapons expert. He also makes killer moonshine, if you're even into that shit.”

 

“Urahara, got it.” Ulquiorra moved to start walking over there but Kenpachi's big hand came down onto his shoulder.

 

“Wait, kid, we got something else to discuss. My office would be the best place for this.”

 

Kenpachi pointed out an interesting detail that he completely missed in the photo he was sent. The big man had leaned over the desk, lowering his voice. “Toshiro got the original photo from your text. He blocked out the important bits to give Miss Inoue her dignity. You know, that's a white leather jacket,” Kenpachi stated pointing to the corner of the photo he had in his hand.

 

“And?”

 

“Heh, kid. I know you don't know him but there's one guy in Aizen's organization who wears a white leather jacket.”

 

Ulquiorra sighed, “There are probably other people out there with white leather jackets. It's not inclusive of Aizen's group.”

 

“Those buttons are,” Kenpachi said, pointing out. Ulquiorra grabbed his phone and zoomed in on the area that the other man was talking about. There was one single button on the cuff of the sleeve, a circle with five small spikes sticking out of it.

 

Ulquiorra's heart started beating faster and he glanced up at Kenpachi. “Who is this other man?”

 

Just as he was going to get his answer, Grimmjow burst through the door of Kenpachi's office. “I just got a phone call from Nel! She'll be here soon, she says.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz was sitting in his car in the cement lot at the back of the warehouse. He was exhausted. He needed sleep but there was no way in hell he was going to leave that warehouse in Utsunomiya to drive back to Tokyo just for fucking sleep.

 

It was hard telling what his brother would do to either woman while he was gone. Bazz didn't want to give it up to chance. There was nothing in the warehouse to eat or drink. He needed coffee. He started his car and drove into the street.

 

There was a 7-11 near the warehouse. He'd get himself something to eat and a coffee, maybe see if they had any espresso drinks or some kind of energy boost thing. Maybe he'd get gas in his car. Bazz sighed as he waited for the light to change.

 

He didn't like driving in tiny ass cities. His car was meant to go fast. It was meant for cruising down highways and freeways. It was tested on the Autobahn and had been touted as a perfect car for someone with a lead foot and no road rage.

 

Bazz didn't rage much. Only when he felt someone had truly offended him or he was drunk off his face. Aizen always looked disappointed when the red-haired man did that so in the recent years those incidents became less and less. When he saw Nel's photograph, they stopped altogether. For some reason, she made him want to become a better person; a better man.

 

Nel.

 

He'd screwed this all up. He was a dumb ass. He'd do anything to make this right to her. Bazz wouldn't care if she asked for millions of yen or he'd turn himself into the police. He'd go to prison for her. Maybe he was so stupidly in love, but Bazz would die for her, by his own hand or someone else's. All Nel had to do was say jump; he would ask how high.

 

That would be how he'd pay his restitution to her; devotion.

 

Pulling into the deserted station, he shut the car off and pocketed his keys. He then got out and pushed the button on his key fob to lock the doors. He swung his head side to side as he walked to the doors which slid open automatically.

 

Bazz shuffled through the store, grabbing what he wanted, some prepackaged sushi, three espresso drinks and a bottle of orange juice. He took his things the counter and while he was standing there, a chill went down his back.

 

He looked out at his car and narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. He couldn't shake this feeling as he paid for the things then walked back to the car. He put the bag into the passenger seat. The keys were shoved into the ignition and the car pulled away from the gas pumps with a low purr.

 

The feeling intensified as he got closer to the warehouse and parked the car. Tsukishima's black R8 was still parked in the same spot. Bazz grabbed his bag and jogged up to the entrance door that would lead him straight to Tsukishima's office.

 

The warehouse was silent and his boots clanged against the metal catwalk. Once he arrived in the room, Bazz set the bag on the metal table that his brother used as a desk. He opened one of the espresso drinks and drained the can within a minute.

 

Since his asshole brother wasn't around, Bazz decided to get a good look at the blueprints his brother was always looking at. He pulled out his phone and took a photo of each floor before he opened the prepackaged sushi.

 

Bazz was just about to take his first bite of the tamago roll but that's when he heard it.

 

“Pleeeeeeeeeheeeee, stop! It hurts.”

 

That was Nel's voice.

 

“Shhhh.”

 

The keening sound got louder and Bazz froze. That was definitely Nel. She was having sex. He had heard that sound enough to know what it was. He reached under his white leather jacket and felt for the two black handguns that were kept in his shoulder holster under each arm. He had stopped carrying them for a couple months because of the woman. Since Tsukishima wanted to start his project early, he always kept them on himself.

 

With his thumb, he managed to unsnap both of the straps that kept the guns in place. Another flick of his thumb, the safety button on the guns were disengaged. He had to keep calm. He shuffled his way out of the office through another door to a catwalk that went over the cages.

 

Orihime's room was dark. The redhead was probably asleep.

 

Nel's room was lit up and as Bazz walked over the area, what he saw didn't please him. Nel was naked, her breasts thrust into the air. A head of brown hair was beneath her. He could see Tsukishima's clothes folded into a pile at the end of the bed.

 

“Stop, please. You're hurting me.” She was crying as she spoke. It made him boil with rage. That asshole was—he was—DAMMIT.

 

“It's only a bit of blood. Besides, if you've fucked my brother you can handle my cock in your ass.”

 

Hearing his brother's voice did nothing to ease the seething hatred building inside of him. Bazz managed to run back into the office and down the flight of stairs that would put him on the warehouse floor. He saw the door to Nel's cell was open, just a crack.

 

Why would Tsukishima do this and not post guards around the place? He knew they were around. He saw the low-life thugs around during the day. They regularly rotated shifts.

 

His lips curled and he grabbed one of the guns from the holders. Bazz moved quietly to the door but he knew his brother probably already knew that he was there. Tsukishima was going to die and Bazz was the one who was going to do it.

 

He had warned the motherfucker not to touch his woman! He was tired of playing games and he wanted this to end now! Bazz peeked in the crack in the door and saw them. Nel's face was twisted in pain, tears were running down her face, and he could see a few blood spots on the floor. What had his brother done?

 

A new burst of fury and madness went through him. Lividity spread down his body; that's when Bazz surely discovered the meaning of the word hatred. He swung the door open and instantly had his gun trained on the man. The woman looked up and gasped. She was looking at Bazz with huge hazel eyes that were pleading with him.

 

“You stupid fuck!” Bazz said as he walked two steps into the room.

 

Tsukishima stopped moving and titled his head so he could look around Nel's head. “Oh, it's just Bazz. Where have you been? I obviously reconsidered your proposal and got started without you. However, you shouldn't have been able to get in this room. You were supposed to hold an audience on the catwalk.”

 

“There were no guards outside. I guess they got bored with your hour-long fucks,” Bazz spat as he grabbed the slide of the gun he was holding and jerked it back, loading the chamber with a bullet. He saw the blatant fear in Nel's face. He saw the apprehension on Tsukishima's face.

 

“You need to chill, Bazz. Think about what will happen if you pull that trigger.”

 

“I'm real chill, right now! In fact. I'm chillin' like a _fuckin'_ villain right now!” Bazz said, training the nine-millimeter handgun on his brother's head. “Let her go. Get your fucking hands off of her.”

 

“If you don't calm down, accidents can happen.”

 

“The only accident that's gonna happen is me killing you!” Bazz yelled. He felt as if he could pull the trigger on the gun. He slowly advanced towards the pair. “Let her go and you might get out of this alive, Tsu. If I have to come get her, you're getting a bullet through your head.”

 

The scrawny man must have felt like Superman because Bazz was almost standing right in front of them when he actually let the woman go. Tsukishima pushed Nel off of him and she fell to the floor. The red-haired man couldn't help himself. He turned the gun in the palm of his hand and swung. The sound of the gun hitting bone and flesh was a sickening sound but it did the job.

 

The piece of shit man was knocked out cold and slumped over. Bazz grabbed Nel's arm and pulled her to her feet. She was trembling in his arms. “Stop, I'm not going to hurt you. Where are your clothes?”

 

“H-he-he ripped my t-shirt off and then cut the leggings,” she replied. “He said you told him that he could do this to me.”

 

“Fuck,” Bazz cursed. He shrugged off the jacket, revealing the dark gray t-shirt underneath and the black leather shoulder straps for the guns. He heard her gasp. “I didn't say a damn thing to him. I might have hinted at having a threesome with you but I would have asked you first. He dismissed it. Take it and put it on.”

 

“You—you're nothing like—Is this what you do for a living?”

 

“Nel, baby, I'll answer any of your questions but we've got to go. If there's anyone around this place, they'll be back soon,” Bazz said.

 

* * *

 

She was glad that he had enough sense to put her stuff in his trunk when he came to this place the first day. “My phone is dead,” Nel said as he started the car.

 

“I'm not worried about your fucking phone. Get some clothes on,” Bazz said revving the machine and then putting it into gear.

 

The car lurched out into the street with the tires chirping in protest. Nel had to grip the seatbelt going across her leather covered chest and hang on for dear life as she felt the car speeding through the streets.

 

“Bazz?” He didn't answer her. Nel tried again. She needed answers and he was the only one who could provide them. “Bazz?”

 

“What?” he shouted. “Leave me the fuck alone, Nel. I'm driving and I'm trying to concentrate on that.”

 

Her eyes saw how his chest was heaving. His knuckles were deathly white as he gripped the steering wheel. If Nel thought Grimmjow was careless when he driving while in a bad mood, she hadn't seen anything Bazz could do. He shifted gears and they drifted around a corner.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Fucking expressway, I'm taking you home. Call Grimmjow,” he muttered. He reached in between his legs and produced his phone, handing it to her.

 

Nel looked down at the device in her hand and swallowed. She had never touched Bazz's phone before. She never felt a need to. She pressed the circle at the bottom of the device. Words popped onto the screen. “It's locked.”

 

He shifted gears again and then reached over, placing his finger on the circle. The screen illuminated to show her different apps. She tapped on the phone icon and then quickly input Grimmjow's number. It took two rings for her ex to answer.

 

“Hello? Who the fuck is this?”

 

“Grimm?”

 

“Nel? Oh my god! Where are you? Are you okay? Who are you with?”

 

Nel sobbed. She could hear Grimmjow asking her questions and talking to her. “I'm in—I think it's Utsunomiya. I'm—No, I'm not okay. I'll explain once I get home.”

 

“We aren't at home.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Ulquiorra—We're at Kenpachi's.”

 

This made the teal-haired woman swallow. If Ulquiorra had sought out the help of Kenpachi... Something serious was going to go down. “Okay. I'm with Bazz.”

 

“Bazz?”

 

“Yeah, he rescued me.”

 

“Nel, what happened?”

 

Fresh sobs overcame her. She felt a hand take the phone away from her. Bazz was talking to the blue-haired man.

 

“Grimm? Yeah, she's... look it's complicated and I'll explain later. No. I'm an hour away, forty-five if I don't get caught speeding. Text the address and I'll drop her off.”

 

She saw as he ended the call and then wedged the phone back under one of his thighs. He glanced over at her and shook his head. “Find some clothes. I'm not dropping you off looking like that. I need to stop and get fuel, otherwise, we're not going to make it. I'm sure you can use the bathroom or where ever I find. You just need to get clothes on.”

 

Rifling through the overnight bag, she pulled out what she needed. Socks, underwear, sports bra, t-shirt, hoodie and a pair of leggings all came out of the bag and then the thing was thrown at her feet. “Bazz?”

 

“What?”

 

“Are you really a bad guy?”

 

“Tch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aesthetic Perfection – Intro  
> Faith No More - Everything's Ruined  
> Linkin Park - My December  
> Nirvana - Something In The Way  
> Twenty-One Pilots – Heathens  
> Silverstein - Discovering the Waterfront  
> Stone Sour – Bother  
> Metallica – Nothing Else Matters  
> Akira Yamaoka ft Mary Elizabeth McGlynn – O.R.T  
> Kanye West – Heartless  
> T.I. - Dead and Gone Ft. Justin Timberlake  
> Arie Dixson – Fuck The Other Side


	28. Lazurus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fights, fights everywhere. Bazz walks into a shit storm and is detained. Nel and Grimmjow chat then Grimmjow has words with Bazz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> CRUDE LANGUAGE... Um, if you are offended by people saying JFC then please, please don't read. Also, Nel mentions what happens to her in rather crude terms. A lot of bodily violence in this chapter. Uh...

Grimmjow was waiting impatiently. He was near the doors of the dojo, waiting for someone—anyone—Nel to walk through those doors. The high ranking members of the Yakuza were gathered around a table discussing something. Ulquiorra was sitting next to Dondachakka, and pointing to something on the surface of the furniture.

 

He kept checking his phone, wishing it would ring or a text would pop up from Nel. Hearing her voice had been—he couldn't describe how it felt. He just knew he was ready to do anything to have her back. He'd do anything she said to be with her again.

 

The blue-haired man had already decided to give up Orihime. He felt deeply for the young woman but he had to admit to himself that he didn't love her like he loved Nel. She had been a conquest in the beginning and then a prize to rub into Ulquiorra's face. She hadn't deserved his behavior though. He hadn't treated Orihime like a Princess.

 

Giving up Ulquiorra was another matter. The men hadn't talked about what happened the other night but he had woken up with the smaller man curled up next to his side. Grimmjow enjoyed it. Still, the dark-haired man wasn't Nel.

 

Maybe if he apologized to Nel and explained, she would let him play with Ulquiorra once in a while. He'd even let her watch. He knew the teal-haired woman read and watched things that included same-sex relationships. She could be into it.

 

There he went thinking about sex again.

 

Was that how he coped with things? Did he deal with trauma with sex? That was just as bad as Ulquiorra and his pain fetish! He shook his head, disgusted with himself.

 

“Grimmjow!”

 

His eyes flicker to the person who called his name out. Kenpachi was beckoning him over. He nodded and walked over to the group. The big man was holding up the photo that was sent to his phone that morning. It had been edited but the face of that asshole and the white leather jacket were still in the frame, untouched.

 

“I have a feeling that we are not dealing directly with Aizen on this matter. The man's face that is visible in this image is of Tsukishima Shukuro, Aizen's oldest. However, the white leather jacket in the frame with this strange shaped button... It belongs to Aizen's other son. It belongs to—”

 

“Me.”

 

Nine pairs of eyes were immediately drawn to the doors of the dojo where Bazz Black stood with Nel.

 

There was no movement for a moment then it seemed like the gates of hell had open and the hounds had been released.

 

Ulquiorra launched himself at the red-haired man screaming in rage. Grimmjow was right behind him. He watched as Bazz shoved Nel away from him a scant second before they plowed into him. The trio of men fell to the floor. Fists hit hard and fast. Grimmjow wanted to slide his hands around Bazz's throat and choke the life out of him.

 

Everything came to a head when Ulquiorra pulled a gun from Bazz's jacket and held it to the man's head. The screams and shouts around Grimmjow were deafening.

 

* * *

 

Hours passed as Bazz was restrained in a metal folding chair, handcuffed to the damn thing, feet tied to a support column inside the dojo. He didn't know what he expected making a bold declaration like that. He should have known he would have gotten his ass hand to him hand over fist. He hadn't fought back though. He let the two men beat the crap out of him.

 

Truthfully, he was scared shitless when he felt the metal of one of his own fucking guns being held to his head. It was only when the gun was brought out, Cifer was restrained. Kenpachi disarmed him immediately and dragged the small man to a room, slamming the door shut. Three other people had to pry Grimmjow off of him.

 

He was hauled to his feet and Bazz got really annoyed when the front part of his mohawk came into his vision. Either the ass beating had screwed his hair up or it was just wilting. “Fuck,” he muttered.

 

They took his jacket and his other gun. No one said anything as they tied him down. They didn't need to. With the excitement over, they all went back to their tasks they were given. Bazz let his head droop to his chest. He only had come inside for Nel. She had asked him.

 

She had gotten dressed in the car. He couldn't help glance as she exposed her body. She threw the white leather jacket behind the seat. It was like she couldn't wait to rid herself of it. It was his own fault. The gas station he had stopped at didn't look friendly. Bazz bought her something to drink and food, not that the place had much but it was something. He hadn't been sure if Tsukishima had been feeding Nel.

 

She looked at the bag of junk food with distaste but opened the bottle of juice. Once he was back in the car, Bazz sighed. The adrenaline was fading away along with the coffee drink that left a sour twist in his stomach. “I'm sorry, Nel.”

 

His pale green eyes cut over to her form. She was staring back at him, mouth partially open, bottom lip quivering. Her eyes were filled with tears.

 

“I know my words mean dick and squat now. I know they're worthless,” he said with a nod, trying to hold back his own emotions and tears. He clenched his jaw. “I just want you to know I'm sorry. I should have been truthful with you from the beginning. I wasn't and because of that—”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Bazz.”

 

With that, they drove the remaining way to Nikko in silence. They pulled into Kenpachi's parking lot. Bazz wasn't prepared for this moment because he knew when she got out of his car, it would be the last time he'd ever see her.

 

He took a gamble. Bazz reached over and cupped Nel's face. He kissed her; his tongue slid into her mouth. If she hit him, he deserved it. He was startled to find she was kissing him back though. When he pulled away, her expression was guarded.

 

“This is goodbye, Nel.”

 

She nodded.

 

“We are never going to see each other again.”

 

“You're an asshole.”

 

“I know I am.”

 

“You made promises to me.”

 

Shit, she was crying. Bazz reached up to wipe the tears away with his thumb but she avoided his touch. “I know I did,” he affirmed.

 

“You said things to me that I—You made me feel like I was worth something. Don't you think you owe Grimmjow and Ulquiorra an explanation? Are you too afraid to face them? Why didn't you get Orihime while you had the chance?”

 

“I don't know the code to get into her cell. I didn't have the key. There were three people who had the fucking key and that code to her cell. I wasn't one of them.” Bazz sighed and put his head on the back of the seat. “I know what will happen when the truth comes out Nel. I'm not an idiot. Do you want me to go in there? You realize I would be sacrificing myself to a den of lions, right?”

 

“I need you to explain what happened.”

 

When they walked in the building together and he heard Kenpachi's voice, he decided that moment to man up. Look where it got him. His lip and nose were bleeding; eye swelling; head thumping from making contact with the fist and the floor too many times and rattling around in his skull; ribs felt like they were on fire. Not to mention he was still tired as hell. He just wanted to sleep.

 

He couldn't though.

 

Lifting his head, he saw Nel talking to Retsu Unohana. Bazz knew who she was, Aizen presented both of his sons with files on everyone in the different organizations. The woman was Kenpachi's lover. She was a doctor-turned massage therapist-turned shrink. The older woman still practiced medicine because she had cleaned Bazz's cuts and put little bandages over the worst cuts.

 

The woman had taken Nel into a room and they emerged sometime later. Then he was forced to witness Grimmjow wrap the teal-haired woman in an embrace and kiss her. He couldn't stop the bitter emotions running through him.

 

_Thought you weren't going to run back to him, Nelliel._

 

She deserved to be happy and if that meant that Grimmjow was in the picture then there was nothing he could do but stand in the shadows and watch. He was the one that was going to walk away from her. He didn't get to be bitter or scorned. It still fucking hurt. He turned his face away and stared at the cinder block wall.

 

What fucking time was it?

 

Bazz must have dozed off because his body jerked awake to Kenpachi clapping his hands and the booming voice calling out, “We need to go home and get some rest. Go spend Christmas with your families.”

 

The sun was also shining through a window.

 

“What about that asshole?”

 

That question came from Ulquiorra. Bazz narrowed his eyes.

 

“Toshiro has volunteered to take the first shift in keeping an eye on our—prisoner. Did you want to take a shift Cifer? Wait... no, not a good idea. You'll kill him.”

 

“Was my plan that glaringly obvious?”

 

There was a round of laughter from the group. “Does anyone else want to take a shift?”

 

If his mouth could have reached the floor, Bazz's would have dropped to the floor in an instant. Nel stood up, along with Grimmjow. “We can take a shift or two,” she said.

 

“Absolutely not, Nelliel Tu!” Dondochakka indignantly shouted.

 

“It's my choice, Don. I'm an adult. I can do as I please,” she replied.

 

“Hmph. I just spent a night in hell thinking the worst and you want to tell me that? At least come visit your mother first!”

 

Bazz felt his eye twitch as Nel agreed to that stipulation. Great, the new lovebirds were going to be his jailers for a while.

 

Kenpachi called for order as people started gathering their things. “We'll come back here on the twenty-seventh.”

 

The red-haired man perked up at that. They couldn't wait that long! That damn baby-killing doctor would be there sooner than Tsukishima said! “You might want to clear your schedules sooner than that,” Bazz called out, keeping his face blank.

 

“You got something to say, Black?” Kenpachi said.

 

His red mohawk bobbled as he nodded. He raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. “Tsukishima is planning on having a doctor perform an _illegal_ late-term abortion on Orihime. She thinks it's just a check-up but—”

 

A fist slammed into his mouth and he winced as he felt the cuts reopened themselves. “Motherfucker!”

 

It was Cifer who hit him.

 

“What the fuck, man? I'm trying to save people—”

 

 _SMACK_!

 

He was seeing stars now. Lights danced in front of his eyes and he could hear a scuffle breaking out. Bazz was trying to stay upright in his seat but he found himself falling to the floor along with the metal chair. The clattering echoed in his ears.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow didn't let Nel go far once they got into the house. He followed her everywhere, except to the bathroom but he could hear her behind the door, crying. He had to restrain himself from going back to the dojo and kicking Bazz in the balls. Something had happened to Nel and she wasn't talking about it. The only thing he'd been able to get from the Yakuza doctor/therapist was that Nel had suffered some bodily trauma, nothing serious though.

 

Ulquiorra had gone with Kenpachi and Retsu to their house to chat. The bigger man said they would then drop the dark-haired man off at Urahara's. They'd meet back at the dojo on the twenty-sixth.

 

When Nel left the bathroom, she walked into the main bathing room with the tub that was sunk into the floor. Grimmjow watched her undress from the door. “Are you okay?” he asked. He knew it was a stupid question but it gave him some comfort to ask.

 

“For now, I'm okay. I'm home. You don't need to babysit me, Grimm. I just want to be left alone,” Nel said, crouching down to turn the water on.

 

“I can't do that Nel. You don't understand—When—when Bazz said you were missing... I couldn't...” He watched as the teal-haired woman brought her arms up and put them around her knees. “Did Retsu say anything about the baby?”

 

“No. She said I should make an appointment to get tested for any sexual diseases and an ultrasound. I need to be examined by a doctor who can check for internal trauma,” Nel murmured.

 

“Why the sexual disease test? I knew you were having unprotected sex with Bazz.”

 

Nel made a choking sound and a shudder went through her body. Was she reliving something horrible? “I was raped by his brother. I was—Jesus _fucking_ Christ, Grimmjow... I was anally raped, okay? I was sodomized without lube and protection. Does that satisfy your _fucking_ curiosity? Can you and will you leave me alone now?”

 

If Grimmjow could have punched someone or something, he would have. His brain ignited with rage. “You—you—you...” he was so pissed off that he couldn't even form a sentence.

 

The woman slipped into the bathtub and resumed her position of her knees drawn up as close as she could get them. The blue-haired man sat on the tiled floor. “No. I'm sorry.”

 

“Words are worthless.”

 

He sighed and let his head drop against the tile. His mind wandered back to that day he barged into Nnoitra's apartment He'd heard Nel's cries from outside the apartment. He saw the bloodied underwear. “I love you, Nel.”

 

“I know.”

 

It wasn't in Grimmjow's nature to plead for anything but he needed to tell this woman things. Things that he had kept back for years. Things that his pride had kept from her. Without warning, he was at the edge of the tub and he tilted her face up to look into her eyes.

 

“No, you don't know. I'm giving up everyone. I just want you. Just say the word and we'll get our own place again. Just tell me what to do and I'll fucking jump through flaming hoops to be with you,” he begged. “I don't want to lose you ever again.”

 

Grimmjow wasn't even mad that she pulled him into the tub with her while he was fully clothed. He needed a new phone anyway since he cracked the screen by throwing it at the wall.

 

* * *

 

Pale green eyes looked up to see bright blue eyes staring at him. “If I'm waking up to see your face, I take it I had too much to drink,” Bazz deadpanned. He tried rolling over and heard the clanking of metal against metal. “I need to piss, can you let me out?”

 

Grimmjow snorted at him, hauling him to his feet. His eyes sought out that familiar teal head of hair but he didn't see Nel anywhere.

 

“I'm untying your feet, do anything and you'll be on your ass faster than anything,” Grimmjow muttered as he knelt down working on the knots.

 

Bazz shook his head. “From what I've seen—”

 

“You gonna say something about my sexual preferences?” the blue-haired man said as he straightened. He turned Bazz around quickly and undid one handcuff then the other, linking them together.

 

The red-haired man scoffed and turned his head. He tried hard not to think about the two men fucking. It left an uncomfortable sensation in his groin. Bazz wasn't trying to entertain it either.

 

“Then again, I didn't see you looking away,” Grimmjow pointed out as he brought the red-haired man's hands around to the front of his body. Bazz saw that look Grimmjow gave him with half-lidded eyes. “C'mon.”

 

“Where's—”

 

“Nel? She's with her parents. She'll be here after she picks up some food. Not that you need to know that you lowlife—”

 

Bazz listened to Grimmjow insult him the entire walk to the bathroom. He relieved himself and then when he was washing his hands, he got a damn good look at himself. He was a fucking mess. Blood had drenched the front of his t-shirt and face. His lip was split into three different places. There was a cut going across his nose. He had a colorful bruise going around his eye.

 

His fucking mohawk; his pride and joy was wrecked. With a sigh, he splashed water on his face, scrubbing away the dried blood carefully.

 

“What are you cleaning up for, Prince Charming?”

 

“I look like hell. I have some self-respect to at least look decent,” Bazz replied snidely.

 

This made Grimmjow huff and cross his arms over his chest. “You know she told me. She told me everything about you. What you said; what you did. Did you honestly think I would let you take my place in my child's life?”

 

“That was a momentary lapse of reasoning. I fell head over heels in love with her,” Bazz asserted. “I was trying to protect her. If she would have given me a chance, I could have.”

 

“You barely fucking knew her. You used false pretense to get into her bed. You don't get to say you love her,” he replied. Grimmjow yanked the man away from the sinks and marched him back to his metal chair. “I should fucking kill you because you didn't protect her at all. You let your brother do unspeakable things to her.”

 

“I did NOT allow Tsukishima to do anything to her! I had a gun pointed at his head and I was going to fucking pull the trigger,” Bazz shouted. “You don't know how badly I wanted to do that but there were several factors at play.”

 

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. “Don't play the martyr.”

 

Bazz scoffed. “You people act like I don't want to help you. You act like I'm gonna run back to my brother.”

 

The red-haired man saw Grimmjow open his mouth but they were interrupted by Nel coming into the door of the dojo, arms laden with bags. She smiled at Toshiro, who was sitting in front of a laptop and then looked over at the two men with an anxious expression.

 

“Nel, give me your phone,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Who are you calling?” Bazz asked as he watched the smartphone fly through the air. Grimmjow caught it easily.

 

“Kenpachi. You want to help, well we're gonna talk to the boss.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> System of a Down - Soldier Side  
> Temple of the Dog - Say Hello To Heaven  
> Anberlin – Paperthin Hymn  
> VAST - Flames  
> David Bowie – Lazarus  
> Lauren Aquilina – Forest Fires  
> ℒund – Addict  
> Madilyn Bailey – Titanium  
> H.I.M. - Gone with the Sin (Acoustic)  
> KoRn – Falling Away From Me  
> Matchbook Romance - Monsters  
> Thirty Seconds to Mars - Kings and Queens  
> Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifam, Imagine Dragons, Logic, Ty Dolla Sign - Sucker for Pain  
> Nicki Minaji - I Get Crazy (Remix)


	29. Epilogue: Paint It Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It ends here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. I have a soundtrack to this story which I will leave in the notes at the end of the fic. 
> 
> Thank you for reading Deep Six. It has been an emotional journey for me to bring so much pain and turmoil to these beloved characters. I didn't anticipate for it to be such a wordy fic. I didn't mean to spin such a complex and detailed world. It was all thanks to you readers! 
> 
> And because I cannot thank her personally, you have my utmost respect and thank you Eli for encouraging me to write and brightening my day with the comments/musings/love left on the chapters. They mean a lot to me and without them, I would have stopped writing a while ago. *glomp, squishes, and rolls into blanket burrito then snuggles with* 
> 
> Please be on the lookout for Part IV and the CONCLUSION of the Carnival of Rust series in February!

Kenpachi stared at the red-haired man and then he shifted his eyes to the blue-haired man. “Are you kidding me?”

 

Bazz shook his head. Grimmjow shrugged. Ulquiorra stood behind Kenpachi's chair with a murderous look on his face and arms folded over his chest. Retsu had done nothing to ease his malicious feelings toward the asshole with a mohawk. He still wanted to relieve the man of his heartbeat. He wanted to push his hand through the man's ribcage and yank out the organ.

 

Ulquiorra thought that he would enjoy that activity very much.

 

But from what he had heard about Bazz's brother, it sounded like that guy needed to die more. As the man explained more people were dragged into the office to hear the ideas. Toshiro was the first one brought in. Ulquiorra watched as the man's fingers flew across the keyboard of the laptop.

 

“I'll even hand over my phone. It has pictures of the blueprints of the warehouse,” Bazz said leaning back in the chair.

 

The green eyes that were surveying the two men narrowed. Ulquiorra couldn't help notice how Grimmjow was leaning toward Bazz. Those blue eyes were glued to the man whenever he spoke. The two shared quick glances between each other.

 

He told himself he didn't care. So what, if Grimmjow was attracted to Bazz? What happened between them had been a one-time thing. It had been something to experience. Ulquiorra felt no attraction where it concerned Grimmjow now. It was just his best friend.

 

He only had eyes for the redheaded woman who was being kept captive by some psychotic asshole with a bounty on his head.

 

“I can run the scenarios and give you some numbers but how do we know this isn't a trap for your father to eradicate the Nikko and Karakura divisions?” Toshiro said, looking up from the screen.

 

Ulquiorra almost laughed as both Bazz and Grimmjow gave the white-haired male the same unimpressed look. It was Bazz who spoke. “Snowball, look—”

 

“He'd get along with Yachiru.”

 

A ripple of laughter went through the people in the room.

 

“Fuck all of you,” Bazz said. “I saw what my brother did to Nel. I was forced to participate in something I didn't want to do. I did it because I was trying to save them. If I fulfilled my three requirements then he'd let them go. Tsu has been doing this my entire life, roping me along for a ride and I'm usually the scapegoat. If I was going to lead you into a trap I wouldn't have put as much time as I did into getting to know Nel. It would have been a waste of my time.”

 

“Why didn't you grab Orihime when you got Nel out?” The entire room held it's breath when Ulquiorra spoke and now the dark-haired man had everyone's attention. “Why didn't you kill your brother and save us the trouble?”

 

Bazz looked at Grimmjow, grinned then shook his head, turning his attention back to Ulquiorra. “You know how to ask million yen questions. Orihime's cell door is outfitted with a number pad and a lock. I do not know the code to the pad nor do I have a key. Her cell was locked up tight. There was no way I could have gained entrance to the cell and made it out of there.”

 

“Why didn't you kill the bastard?”

 

“When someone says the word bastard, I usually assume they're talking about me,” Bazz said. The man sighed. “Think about it like this, if I shot Tsu in the head, someone would have heard that gunshot. Someone would have called the police. If there were guards in the place then they would have given them my name or killed me. Orihime would still be locked in that place. Or the guards would have killed her and you'd still be fucked.”

 

“Explain how the guards would have killed her,” Kenpachi said.

 

“The cells have metal mesh ceilings or metal grates. I don't know. They are not entirely enclosed. They were designed that way to allow the prisoners to hear what was happening to the other. It's all a psychological game with my brother. He's not a psychopath. He's a sociopath,” Bazz said. “He gets off on torturing people.”

 

“What kind of torture has Orihime endured?”

 

“Dude, you don't want to know. That list looks like Santa's naughty list after the first rundown.”

 

* * *

 

Nel watched as Bazz handed Grimmjow the keys to his car. The blue-haired man left and came back with a laptop and Bazz's phone. Both of these items were handed off to Toshiro. The keys were given to Kenpachi. Grimmjow then walked over to Nel and wrapped his arms around her.

 

She felt safe in his arms but then again, she had felt the same thing in Bazz's embrace. She had no idea that a cold snake was waiting to strike over the red-haired man's shoulder. A sob ran through her. Nel had no idea how to handle the feelings of losing Bazz. She had a feeling after tonight was over he was out of her life.

 

When he kissed her in the car before they walked into the dojo, she had remembered the first time their lips met. She wanted to rewind time to then and relieve those weeks again.

 

“Shhh, you okay?”

 

Nel's teal hair whipped back and forth as she shook her head.

 

“You want to talk about it?”

 

Someone cleared their throat behind them and the couple moved away from each other. Nel peeked around Grimmjow's body to see Bazz. He was staring at her. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out.

 

“I need to talk to Nel,” he said.

 

“You can talk to both of us at the same time,” Grimmjow replied. He hadn't even turned around to see who had interrupted them.

 

A sigh. “Then follow me. Kenpachi's letting us use a room on the second floor.”

 

Grimmjow was the one to turn first. He took Nel's hand and led her to the doorway where the stairs were. After going up a narrow stairway, the trio went down a small hallway to a windowless room. Bazz walked into the darkness first. Nel heard the click of a light and the room became bright. It was only after that Grimmjow let her into the area and then moved in behind her. She heard the door shut. Where they stood in was completely empty except for some floor mats stacked against a wall.

 

“Nel.”

 

“Bazz.”

 

One look at his face told her everything. His heart was just as torn apart by this entire situation. He hadn't meant her any harm. He still felt the same things for her. Bazz still loved her. She also couldn't deny her feelings for Grimmjow though. He was the father of the baby inside of her. She never stopped loving him. She had just pushed her feelings for him to the side. He was an idiot. Bazz was an idiot. She was an idiot to think she could walk away from either man. Hell, they were all idiots.

 

Nel took a step toward Bazz. A realization came over his face; he closed the distance between them quickly. His arms went around her waist. She had to hold out her arm to stop Grimmjow from coming closer and punching the other man.

 

“What the _hell_ are you doing, Nel?” the blue-haired man asked.

 

She looked back at Grimmjow, turning in Bazz's arms. “C'mere Grimm.”

 

“Nel,” Bazz murmured in her ear. He nipped at the outer shell of her ear. “What are you doing?”

 

In seconds, she was sandwiched in between two muscular bodies. She couldn't help compare them now that she had them both with her. Bazz's shoulders were broader than Grimmjow's. The blue-haired man knew how to molest her neck in such a way that would have her panting.

 

Her eyes closed. Hands were all over Nel's skin, pushing her clothing up and down. Lips trailed hotly down her neck and were on her lips, a tongue sliding against hers. She had to keep from moaning too loudly. Hadn't she fantasized about this almost a week ago?

 

“As much as I love touching you Nel, we need answers,” Bazz said.

 

“He's right, as much as I hate to admit it,” Grimmjow chimed in.

 

Nel sighed. “What?”

 

“What are you doing?” The men asked in unison.

 

“Isn't it obvious?” The silence in the room hung there. “I don't want to give you up Grimmjow, but at the same time I don't want to give Bazz up.”

 

Grimmjow appeared downright offended at those words. “Think about what he's done—”

 

“He did nothing to me.”

 

Bazz looked smug but he was arrogant. “What about what he did to you? Fucking Ulquiorra, while you were missing, seems kinda desperate.”

 

“He didn't do anything to me eit—What?” Nel pushed both men away from her and straightened her bra and t-shirt out which the men had moved out of the way. She only had to shimmy her hips to seat her jeans back in the correct spot.

 

“The night I went over to your house to tell them you went missing, I walked in to see Grimmjow fucking Ulquiorra.”

 

“You're leaving out the part where you couldn't take your fucking eyes off me.”

 

“Kinda hard—”

 

“Dear Lord,” Nel muttered. She was having flashbacks of Ulquiorra and Grimmjow fighting over Orihime. She watched as Grimmjow and Bazz stepped closer to each other, each wearing a smoldering look. “Maybe you two need to kiss and make up. No?”

 

Bazz took a step away from Grimmjow and folded his arms over his chest. “I didn't come up here to fuck either of you. I just wanted to tell you that after this is all over, I'm gone. You won't see me again. You don't have to worry about me popping up or stealing your kid or your woman away from you.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Shut up Grimmjow,” Nel complained. “I don't want you to go Bazz. You know you don't want to go. I saw it. Just like the night, I was kidnapped, I saw what was on your face. You love me. Grimmjow loves me.”

 

Both men scoffed.

 

Nel sighed. “This isn't the time to settle this. When this is all over and Orihime's back home, we can have _a nice adult discussion_ about it.”

 

“That'll end up with us in bed...” Grimmjow deadpanned.

 

“Fucking your brains out...” Bazz noted.

 

“Annnnnd, maybe each other,” the blue-haired man said with a teasing grin.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra found Bazz once he returned to the first floor of the dojo. They didn't have much time. There were about twenty people milling about the building, awaiting orders. “You have two guns. I want one of them.”

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me,” Ulquiorra stated in a tense voice. He felt like he'd been angry for years although it had only been barely twenty-four hours since he had the knowledge that this man had penetrated his woman. “You have two guns. I want one. Kenpachi says I'm too unstable to handle a firearm.”

 

“Cifer, you're asking me for one of my hands. My guns are extensions of myself,” Bazz hissed at him.

 

Ulquiorra narrowed his murky green eyes at the taller man. “You're going to get it back as soon as I'm done.”

 

“Done? Done doing what? Shooting yourself in the foot?”

 

“Killing your brother _and_ your father.”

 

Bazz had the audacity to snort with laughter. “Those are some big threats for a such a small set of balls.”

 

“You would know since you've seen them.”

 

“Look, I've had enough shit today about my sexuality—”

 

“Give me the gun.”

 

Bazz reached under the jacket he was wearing. Ulquiorra heard a faint click and then he had a gun in his hand.

 

“There's the safety, leave it on until we get there. I'll see if I can get you another clip of bullets before we head out,” the red-haired man said. “Don't shoot yourself. Don't shoot me. Don't hold it with one hand; one hand on the grip the other hand cups that hand. Keep both eyes open. I was only doing what I had to do to keep Nel alive and well.”

 

He slipped the handgun into the waistband of his jeans and pulled his shirt over it. Bazz didn't say anything.

 

“You have no objection to me killing your brother, do you?” the dark-haired man asked.

 

“I wish you wouldn't but if that's what it comes down to, then so be it. It will spark a Yakuza war. Aizen will go after you and Kenpachi,” Bazz stated in a quiet tone.

 

“He's come after me once, I don't care if I die this time,” he responded.

 

The man with a mohawk shook his head. “What about _your woman_? Orihime? Don't you think she'll care if you're dead?”

 

Dark green eyes met pale green ones. Ulquiorra narrowed his expression. “I've already set something up if I happen to die. She'd be taken care of for life. My child will be taken care of,” he explained.

 

“You do know that even touching a handgun is automatically seven years in prison. Firing it adds to the sentence. Killing someone and you could get the death penalty.”

 

“Does it look like I give a damn?”

 

“No, man. I'm just reading you the warning label.”

 

“I appreciate the effort but I really could care less. All I know the longer we stand around here, the longer he has her.”

 

Bazz held up both of his hands and backed away from the smaller man. It was Kenpachi who found him next. Ulquiorra was getting tired of this.

 

“You're not going with us,” the older man said.

 

“You can go fuck yourself too. I'm going. She's my—”

 

“If you go there will be several scenarios that will happen and I don't want them to happen. You will either get yourself killed or end up killing someone,” Kenpachi said.

 

“And?”

 

“You're fucking stupid, Cifer. You gotta death wish?”

 

Ulquiorra rolled that thought around in his head. Did he have a death wish? Possibly, but he knew several things. He loved the redhead and Grimmjow was right; he hadn't meant a word that he said to her the night she disappeared. He would never let her go again as long as he was alive. He would die for Orihime if it came down to it. “Are you done? We need to get ready to go,” he challenged.

 

Grimmjow didn't play around as he pulled Ulquiorra into a room that had four solid walls and a door. He was pushed up against a wall. The blue-haired man had his hands threaded through black hair. Lips were on his throat along with the grazing of teeth.

 

The tall man let out a noise and Ulquiorra wanted to say he sobbed but there were no tears.

 

“I'm gonna be right behind you. I've got your back,” Grimmjow murmured. “Ulquiorra, don't fucking die.”

 

“I'll try not to,” he said in a flat voice.

 

Grimmjow gripped his chin and forced his head up. Lips were pressed against his and Ulquiorra could feel his mouth being parted by the other man's tongue. He felt the erection against his body. This was just how the blue-haired man coped with stress and difficult things. Sex was a buffer and painkiller for him.

 

Their foreheads were resting on each other's, eyes closed. “I fucking love you,” Grimmjow whispered. “I told Nel what happened. She knows and she's okay with it.”

 

“No, you don't. You might feel affection for me but you don't love me Grimmjow. You love Nel.”

 

There was a bit of a struggle as Grimmjow tried to restrain him against the wall. Ulquiorra knew it was a kneejerk reaction from him. He couldn't respond right now. All he felt was anger and pain. Still, he fought back. That was just his nature.

 

A knock on the door was the only thing that separated them. Grimmjow stepped away from Ulquiorra faster than a kid caught stealing candy. Bazz was the one who stuck his head inside, looking uncomfortable.

 

He had seen them that night. Ulquiorra said nothing and slowly blinked. “What?”

 

“We're getting ready to go over last minute instructions. If you two want to join us... We'll be leaving in five minutes,” the red-haired man said.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow's face was unhappy. Bazz raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

The next thing he knew he was pulled into the room. The door was shut with a thud. The blue-haired man had him pressed against the door. Bazz being slightly taller than Grimmjow had an advantage, he had to look down at his face. He felt the erection pressed against his thigh. His eyes went wide. If this kept up something was going to go down between him and his competition

 

He saw the snarl come over Grimmjow's face. “Take care of Nel,” he growled. “Do not let her get hurt. Do you understand?”

 

“You act like I don't give a damn about her. I love her too,” Bazz muttered. He brought his hand up and pushed two fingers to the underside of Grimmjow's throat. This was dangerous territory, putting his hands on the other man. He dropped his voice down so that only Grimmjow could hear. “I'm not the one playing keeper. I'm gonna be in front of you two.”

 

“The fuck you are.”

 

“I know that place better than anyone,” the red-haired man said. “Besides, why don't you keep eyes on her?”

 

Grimmjow seethed. Bazz knew he didn't want his help with this. So, the blue-haired man resorted to the oldest insult known to man. “Fuck you.”

 

“You know you keep saying that to me and I might take you seriously,” Bazz replied. He was joking, kind of. He had seen what went on between the two men. Seeing Grimmjow and Ulquiorra in action had made him question a lot of things. What happened in the room upstairs made him think about things _again_. “ _Sweetie_.”

 

He watched as Grimmjow's eyes did a quick side glance to Ulquiorra. Then he scoffed, “Tch, time and place, asshole.”

 

* * *

 

Nel watched the three men exit the room and she eyed each of them. Ulquiorra had a blank look on his face. She knew he was just focused on rescuing Orihime before anything bad could happen to her or the baby. She knew that Tsukishima was planning and it was only a matter of time before the plan was carried out.

 

She sighed and shook her head. Nel wondered for the millionth time how they got caught up in this. It was all one big shit storm and they were at the epicenter of it.

 

When Grimmjow and Bazz came out of the room, the men looked guilty, which made Nel ponder what had gone on behind that door. The big men took a space on either side of her. She reached down and grabbed Bazz's hand and then Grimmjow's, intertwining their fingers. Bazz leaned down and whispered in her ear.

 

She blushed and glanced at Grimmjow. The blue-haired man raised his eyebrows questioningly and asked, “What did _asshole_ say?”

 

Nel shook her head then glanced at Bazz. The red-haired man smirked. She murmured, “He said once this is all over, we should go with him to his apartment.”

 

“ _We_?”

 

“Yeah. Me and you,” Nel said, her face becoming hotter.

 

She didn't miss the look Grimmjow gave Bazz; hungry and appraising. The blue-haired man chuckled. Nel noticed he swallowed hard and his tone was not as confident as it usually was. “Heh, maybe.”

 

The dojo got quiet and Kenpachi stood in front of everyone. Twenty people looked up at their leader. “Okay, so here's the plan,” the man began.

 

* * *

 

Nel was in a van with her step-father. Ulquiorra was in the van with Kenpachi. Bazz and Grimmjow had taken Bazz's car to the house his father owned in Nikko. It was just blocks away from their house. Grimmjow was kind of pissed to learn of this fact and the entire ride from Nikko to Utsunomiya was filled with tension.

 

“You planned this. You and your fucked up waste of space brother planned all of this,” Grimmjow bitched as he got on the expressway that would take them into the bigger city.

 

“I didn't plan anything! I wish you would fucking get your panties out of your ass and realize it!” Bazz sneered. “Tsukishima did all of this. He's the one enrolled in college.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“I've noticed something about you Grimmjow,” the red-haired man said. “Whenever you can't handle something or someone has the upper hand you revert to the language of a simpleton.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“We can go back to my place or yours,” came the reply. “It'd take like five minutes.”

 

“If I wasn't driving Ulquiorra's car, I'd so run us into a tree.” There were a few moments of silence as Grimmjow changed lanes. “What do you do for a living?”

 

“Nothing, I have a lot of cash that's put into stocks and other money-making opportunities. I thought maybe I'd model after my old man was done with me,” Bazz replied looking out the window.

 

The person driving the car scoffed. “It figures you're a rich boy with a lot of time on your hands,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Better than building furniture and being a member of a dive band.”

 

“Ha, you better change your statement. Vapor Atrophy signed with an American recording company.”

 

Silence.

 

“Well, good for you.”

 

“... How big are you?”

 

“What now?”

 

Grimmjow saw how Bazz looked at him like he had several heads and turned into a monster. He had to turn his head and glance at the red-haired man. “What?”

 

“Are you asking about the size of my cock?”

 

“Never mind.”

 

“Oh my God, you're serious about us fucking.”

 

“I am not! I'm trying to cause you to die in my best friend's car by a stroke or high blood pressure!”

 

Silence.

 

“I'm big enough for Nel. Might be too big for you. Gotta be so tall to ride—”

 

“FUCK! Who decided we needed to be in a car together?” Grimmjow growled.

 

* * *

 

Bazz, Ulquiorra, Nel, and Grimmjow were the only ones who entered the warehouse by the door that Tsukishima's R8 was parked by. Four sets of footsteps were silent as they crossed the catwalk. The red-haired man saw Kenpachi and another guy on the other two catwalks. Both cells were open and lit up like it was Christmas.

 

The man with spikes in his hair did some complicated hand signal and Bazz shrugged. “I don't know what the fuck Captain Sign Language is telling me over there,” he murmured to Nel who stood slightly behind him now that they made their way to the office.

 

“He's telling you to go forward and he'll keep an eye out in the front and back.”

 

“How come you never told me you were a Yakuza princess?”

 

“Get bent. How come you never learned hand signals? Can we move on?”

 

They proceeded to the doorway where the staircase led to the warehouse floor. It was a slow process because Bazz kept listening for every little sound. He saw Kenpachi's shadow move across the catwalk again. Then a small woman was in front of him.

 

“Shit!”

 

“This is a covert mission; keep your fucking voice down,” Soi Fon hissed at him. “Red is in the left cell. I've got men stationed at either end of the catwalk. We'll cover the doors, including the ones you just left. As soon as you get down to the floor we'll wait for Tsu to reveal himself. This entire building is empty. No guards or lackeys.”

 

The red-haired man nodded and pushed past the small woman. When they got to the factory floor, Bazz thought the entire plan was going to go to hell. They didn't anticipate for a metal door to open across from the cells.

 

* * *

 

The gun was out of his waistband and the safety turned off. He held it at his side, limply. Ulquiorra almost broke stance and ran for the open door. He just wanted to see Orihime. He wanted to make sure that she and his son were okay.

 

He was a horrible person and had treated the woman in an awful manner ever since he met her two years ago. Orihime was his though. He loved her. He went to the ends of the earth to make her happy. Ulquiorra ended up hurting her though.

 

The four people jumped when a door clattered open and revealed a very tall, very skinny man. He had a hand in his pocket and was casually reading a book as he walked onto the factory floor.

 

“I see you've made it Bazz. You've brought friends with you,” Tsukishima said with a smirk on his face. There was a cut going across his eyebrow.

 

Ulquiorra scowled. The grip on the gun tightened. His hand twitched and he brought his arm up. There was a clamor of boots against metal as twenty people filed onto the warehouse catwalks.

 

There were twenty-four firearms pointed at Tsukishima and he continued to walk towards the group. Five feet separated them when he finally stopped.

 

“I think this is checkmate for me, Tsu,” Bazz said.

 

“Mmmm, I don't think so. I'm just back into a corner. I've still got my queen,” the man said. “Orihime!”

 

Ulquiorra turned his head and watched as the pregnant redhead came shuffling out of the cell. She had a dirty sheet wrapped around her but it barely fit. She was naked. She avoided the three males and the woman, making her way over to the tall man.

 

“Orihime!” Ulquiorra said.

 

She didn't even turn around to look at him. He swallowed hard. What had happened to her that she wouldn't even look at him? Had his last words to her been that hurtful?

 

“ORIHIME!”

 

“You must be the infamous Ulquiorra Cifer. It's so nice to meet someone who was such a pain in my father's ass. Orihime's told me a lot about you. She told me how you—”

 

Grimmjow had punched the tall man in the mouth and had him by the hair while Bazz had kicked his brother in the stomach, forcing him to his knees. The redhead started screaming.

 

“You raping piece of shit!” Grimmjow spat holding the man's head up by the hair.

 

“Nel! Get her!” Ulquiorra said, pointing towards Orihime who was trying to get Tsukishima to his feet.

 

He waited as the teal-haired woman gathered the redhead into her arms but Orihime sank to her knees. Nel had no choice but to follow the female. His green eyes watched Nel trying to comfort the other woman. Something inside of Ulquiorra turned dark. He couldn't stand to watch Orihime reach out to this other man. It made him sick to witness how the mother of his child was pleading with him.

 

“Tsukishima, please...”

 

The way she looked at him, it did indescribable things to his head and heart. It was almost a ripping injury that ached when it rained or was really cold. It was a festering wound. He couldn't stomach it. Ulquiorra couldn't stand to see her on her knees, covered by some tattered sheet wrapped around her, looking at the man kneeling in front of him with affection.

 

He grit his teeth and the corner of his lip curled. He could feel the tears burning hotly in his eyes. Why wouldn't Orihime look at him? Why wouldn't she say anything to him?

 

“Woman,” he said, the breath feeling like it was being squeezed from his throat. She still didn't look at him.

 

That dark part of him started to grow in the pit of his stomach and it didn't take long for it to reach his heart.

 

“Woman,”

 

“Are you expecting her to respond to you, Cifer? Do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?”

 

“Shut up, Tsu,” Bazz warned.

 

Ulquiorra was going to give Orihime one more chance to acknowledge him and then he was going to go to extremes to get her attention.

 

“Orihime Inoue. Look at me please,” Ulquiorra said. The words echoed off the brick and metal walls. She didn't flinch when he spoke.

 

Automatically, the gun in his hand was pressed against the forehead of the kneeling man. No one said a word. He was angry now. No, he was beyond angry... This went beyond irate. This surpassed lividity. He was enraged. The ire boiled under his skin and it annoyed the hell of Ulquiorra. The only other time he'd been this mad was when he found out that Orihime had been sleeping with Grimmjow.

 

He was incensed, provoked, and maddened to the point he wanted to see blood. He wanted to go on a rampage.

 

“Cifer, think about this,” Kenpachi called out from above him. “We can beat the hell out of him and dump him in the ocean. You don't have to do this.”

 

The short dark-haired man didn't bother listening to the Yakuza warlord. He didn't take his eyes off the redhead who appeared as she was pleading with Bazz's half-brother.

 

“Orihime!”

 

Even screaming her name didn't get a response from her. Ulquiorra felt the first tears hit his face. He watched the mother of his child's mouth move.

 

“Tsukishima—”

 

Everything that this man kneeling in front of him stood for was the very thing that ruined his life. Aizen. If Aizen didn't exist then none of this would have happened! The dark-haired man was shaking from holding back all the emotions that he'd been trying to suppress. They were dark waves of hatred and loathing; animosity and malice; disgust and spitefulness crashed over his senses. His vision turned red.

 

Ulquiorra pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found a lot of great artist on YouTube while writing this fic. I guess I can send a thank you out to those who make music. :)
> 
> Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black  
> Shinigami - Memories of You  
> Shiro Sagisu - On the Precipe of Defeat  
> Aesthetic Perfection - The Ones  
> Placebo - Pure Morning  
> Koda - The Last Stand  
> Snails - Murda Sound  
> The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army  
> Andy Black - 21 Guns  
> Rag'n'Bone Man – Human  
> Avenged Sevenfold - This Means War  
> K. Flay – Black Wave  
> Marilyn Manson - God's Gonna Cut You Down  
> Aesthetic Perfection - Relapse  
> Marilyn Manson - Speed of Pain  
> Pantera - I'm Broken  
> Slipknot - XIX  
> Architects - Downfall


End file.
